OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

FISA Amendments Act of 2008

Date: March 14, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Criminal Justice


FISA AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - March 14, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge that we defeat the previous question so we can adopt the Protect America Act.

People in this country think that Washington, D.C., is broken, and they are absolutely right. It is. And this issue is proof positive of why Washington, D.C., is broken. Yes, we do have an agreement. It is a bipartisan agreement, 68 votes in the Senate. There is a majority here, but the majority leadership won't allow us to consider this very important and necessary legislation.

Senator Rockefeller, the Democratic chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the Senate, has said our intelligence capacities are being degraded because we have failed to pass the Protect America Act.

You know, it is time that we put the national interest ahead of the special interests. Why are we protecting the most litigious among us in our society at the expense of our troops serving overseas? We know the issues. It is retroactive immunity. The telecommunications companies were attempting to help us in good faith, and no good deed goes unpunished. That is what it happening here. It is time to get the job done.

I'm going to refer to an article I read in the Wall Street Journal back in January, 2006, by Debra Burlingame, the sister of the pilot who crashed into the Pentagon. The title is, ``Al Qaeda, not the FBI, is the greater threat to America.'' I think we should heed her advice and recall, because of that wall that existed before 9/11 between the intelligence agency and our domestic law enforcement, it prevented us from being more effective.

Today, we are placing barriers between our government and those who want to help us in the telecommunications sector, but they are going to be forced to comply with this. They will not be able to do so voluntarily. We know what the issue is. The Fraternal Order of Police, many State attorneys general, the VFW, all agree we should pass the bipartisan. We have it within our means to do it. I don't understand why not. It is important for the majority leadership to explain to this House why they won't let this bipartisan agreement be adopted.

The American people are watching. They want us to get the job done. They have had enough.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward