Political Quotes

“Immediately following passage of the House version in May 2014, Senator Lee and I began working to address concerns that the text of the House bill, although clearly intended to end bulk collection, did not do so effectively. We spent several months in discussions with the intelligence community and a wide range of stakeholders, including other Senators, privacy and civil liberties groups, and the U.S. technology industry, to build on the framework established by the House-passed bill. Those negotiations led to the introduction of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014, S. 2685, on July 29, 2014. More than 50 organizations, interest groups, trade associations, and technology companies from across the political spectrum publicly endorsed the bill. On September 2, 2014, the Attorney General and DNI wrote a letter in support of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014. The letter noted that the bill preserved the intelligence community's capabilities while also enhancing privacy and civil liberties and increasing transparency. Likewise, members of the President's review group wrote a letter to myself and Senator Grassley, explaining that the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 was consistent with the recommendations contained in their December 2013 report. On November 12, 2014, Senator Reid filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014.…”