Trade Deal Passes, Bill to Restrict NSA ‘Spying’ Program Fails: Here’s What the Senate Did Before Skipping Town for Recess
Kate Scanlon /
The Senate passed trade legislation and blocked a bill that would curb the federal government’s bulk collection of phone records before leaving town on a week-long Memorial Day recess.
In a vote late on Friday evening, the Senate approved Trade Promotion Authority, 62-37. It gives President Obama the authority to negotiate trade deals with other nations, and then send them to Congress for an up-or-down vote.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the legislation’s passage shows that “Republicans and Democrats can stand strong, together, for the middle class.”
“The trade legislation we passed is all about creating new opportunities for bigger paychecks, better jobs, and a stronger economy,” McConnell said. “The tools it contains will allow us to knock down unfair foreign trade barriers that discriminate against American workers and products stamped ‘Made in the USA.’ I thank President Obama for standing up to his base and joining Republicans in helping to advance such an important measure for the middle class.”
Disappointed by the TPA vote. I hope the House will carefully scrutinize this deal & demand TPP be made public before a Fast Track vote.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) May 23, 2015
TPA will allow Congress to set the terms for trade and will advance TPP which will help improve US economy. http://t.co/nqpzuGj2Ky — Mike Enzi (@SenatorEnzi) May 21, 2015
Following the vote, the White House issued a statement praising the “bipartisan” vote, which the president called an “important step.”
“I want to thank senators of both parties for sticking up for American workers by supporting smart trade,” Obama said.
The fast-track trade bill, as it’s known, is expected to face a tougher test in the House, where conservatives worry about giving Obama trade power.
House will take up #TPA. For it to pass, Democrats will have to put politics aside & do what’s best for the country. http://t.co/wYF2LSXeBG
— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) May 23, 2015
Meanwhile, a measure designed to scale back the government’s mining of personal data in the post-9/11 era—called the USA Freedom Act—failed in a vote early Saturday morning.
Though it won a 57-42 majority vote, the legislation needed 60 votes to advance. The House had already overwhelmingly passed the USA Freedom Act.
The USA Freedom Act would reduce the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of data regarding domestic phone records.
Supporters argue that the legislation would amend flaws in the Patriot Act and protect privacy while maintaining needed tools for law enforcement.
Opponents, like McConnell, say the amended program could put America’s national security in danger. Other critics, like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., say the USA Freedom Act doesn’t go far enough to protect civil liberties.
Also early Saturday, senators failed to pass a short-term measure to keep the Patriot Act from going dark when it expires June 1.
With few options to resolve the impasse, McConnell announced that the Senate would be back in session May 31—just hours before the national security programs expire—to try and find a solution.
The Senate has refused to reauthorize bulk data collection. I am proud to have stood up for the Bill of Rights. But our fight is not over
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 23, 2015
The Senate will return one week from Sunday. With your help we can end illegal NSA spying once and for all.
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 23, 2015
Just voted for the USA Freedom Act to reform the Patriot Act and halt bulk surveillance of Americans’ phone records. http://t.co/9uVLDqdrTJ
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) May 23, 2015
We KNOW that making a haystack infinitely bigger doesn’t make it easier to find a needle. Senate needs to pass #USAFREEDOMAct reforms
— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) May 22, 2015
Some who demagogue our intelligence gathering programs seem more afraid of those protecting our country than those seeking to attack it.
— Lindsey Graham (@GrahamBlog) May 22, 2015
Senate should immediately pass #USAFreedomAct instead of hastily & irresponsibly trying to scramble something together in the 11th hour.
— House Judiciary Cmte (@HouseJudiciary) May 22, 2015
The only responsible path forward is to pass bipartisan #USAFreedomAct to #EndThisDragnet & ensure NSA has tools to target actual terrorists
— Martin Heinrich (@MartinHeinrich) May 22, 2015