Issue Position: USA Patriot Act/Civil Liberties

Issue Position

Senator Sanders is a strong and consistent defender of our nation's basic civil liberties, and against recent moves to weaken our nation's most important constitutional rights. Senator Sanders believes we must do everything possible to prevent terrorist attacks but that this can and should be done without undermining the basic rights which make us a free country.

Senator Sanders voted against the USA Patriot Act and introduced the first legislation in the House of Representatives to undo some of its most egregious, unconstitutional provisions. His efforts to reform Section 215 of the Patriot Act and his introduction of the "Freedom to Read Protection Act" earned him the American Librarians Association award of "Politician of the Year" in 2003. In the Senate, Sanders will continue to focus on these and other important civil liberties issues to ensure that Americans' constitutional rights are restored and protected.

Since taking office in 2000, President Bush and his Administration have launched a frontal attack on the privacy rights and civil liberties of Americans. This includes misuse of National Security Letters, which require banks, credit card companies, Internet service providers and others to turn over information about their customers to the federal government without court approval or oversight. Sanders has also been an outspoken opponent of the Administration's use of the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretap program, and President Bush's repeated misuse of Presidential signing statements.

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