Congresswoman Susan Davis released the following statement on the vote in the House of Representatives on legislation updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (H.R. 6034). Davis voted against the bill which passed the House by a vote of 293-129.
"Last year, the House crafted legislation, which I supported, that provided the intelligence community the necessary tools to keep Americans safe and also unequivocally guaranteed the civil rights of Americans. Unfortunately, this bill before the House today does not contain the needed protections to gain my support.
"This bill raises ongoing concerns about civil liberties and the precedent of retroactive immunity. The blanket provisions in the bill would subject Americans to invasions of privacy. And it would keep Americans from learning the truth about the actions of the Administration and telecommunications companies. In the end, I did not feel that the underlying bill represents most Americans' values.
"I understand how the art of bipartisan compromise is a difficult endeavor - and a rare sight in Washington these days. While I may not have supported the resulting product of this compromise, I believe that there should be more instances of people coming together to find common ground on critical issues.
"I appreciate all the work put in by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Minority Leader Roy Blunt, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Ranking Member Lamar Smith, Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes, and Ranking Member Peter Hoekstra. They had an unenviable task."