Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. CARSON. Mr Chair, today I rise in support of H.R. 7888, Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). As someone who has worked in law enforcement and served the intelligence community for many years, I feel strongly that the FISA Authority, including Section 702, must not be allowed to lapse. This could pose a grave danger to our national security. I believe the changes and reforms included in this bill will protect our safety while also preserving our civil liberties.
I voted in the Intelligence Committee to reauthorize this vital legislation because I believe it represents a solid bipartisan approach. The bill includes reforms I fought for, and I believe it strikes the proper balance of protecting our national security in a way that is consistent with our American values. We know the FISA authority has been abused in the past, and that is unacceptable. That's why the reforms included in this bill are essential.
Provisions I recommended in the bill prevent individuals from being unfairly targeted based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity by preventing the search of a person's name simply based on those factors. As a Black, Muslim man who has been the victim of profiling, this was personal for me--and I'm glad language to codify these essential protections is included in today's bill.
It's disappointing that some of my colleagues and dedicated advocates have described our Intelligence Committee bill as fake reform, or a sham. That's not the case. Our committee's bill prohibits agencies from conducting a query for the purpose of suppressing political speech, reinforcing one of the most American liberties there is: the right to free speech.
Finally, the bill improves and codifies accountability for the FBI in particular and prevents future abuses.
This is not the end of our work to protect Americans' civil liberties in U.S. intelligence, but this program is too important for our national security to allow it to expire or experience any lapses. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.
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