Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Surveillance Reform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sen. Wyden asks Senate to require warrants before reading Americans' communications under Section 702, seeks immediate passage of S. 4738
Summary
Mr. Wyden, identified as the senator from Oregon, asked the Senate to pass S. 4738, a bill he said "would require government agencies to get a warrant before using Section 702 to read the communications of Americans," and proposed extending Section 702 for nine months; the transcript ends with his unanimous-consent request and does not record the outcome.
Mr. Wyden, the senator from Oregon, addressed the Senate floor during debate over Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and asked unanimous consent to pass S. 4738, a bill he said "would require government agencies to get a warrant before using Section 702 to read the communications of Americans."
Wyden told colleagues that the provision expires "on Friday" and argued recent floor votes showed the status quo was rejected, saying "the path to 60 votes in the Senate on Section 702 runs through real reforms." He said he and other lawmakers have introduced "comprehensive, bipartisan, bicameral surveillance reform legislation" and that the warrant proposal is "only one part" of that effort.
Wyden described the measure as practical for implementation, noting it "contains a number of exceptions, including for emergencies," and that "our analysis is that it would be very feasible for the executive branch and the FISA court to implement it." He framed the change as aligning the statute with constitutional protections, saying it would "finally bring Section 702 in line with the principles of the Fourth Amendment."
The senator also cautioned that the proposal "doesn't address numerous other concerns related to FISA, other intelligence authorities and the sale of Americans' location data," and said the bill would, in Wyden's words, extend Section 702 "for nine months, well into next year."
On the floor he formally asked unanimous consent "that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4738, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed." The provided transcript ends with that request; the record does not show whether the unanimous-consent request was agreed to or objected to.
If the Senate takes up Mr. Wyden's measure, it would change how Section 702 is used to access Americans' communications, subject to the exceptions Wyden described; the transcript does not record any debate or recorded vote following his request.
