Spies Make Ardent Plea for Renewal of Surveillance Law, Legislators Act Deaf

09/12/12

On Tuesday, on the 11^th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, U.S. intelligence officials publicly raised a plea for renewing the controversial U.S. electronic surveillance law, exasperated by delays and hurdles over the issue.


The chief lawyer for the Office of Director of National Intelligence told the media that it was a top priority to win approval of the Congress for extending the electronic surveillance law. The law is scheduled to expire at the end of 2012, and if it were not extended, US spy agencies would lose access to a “very, very important source of valuable intelligence information.”

In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, relevant committees have approved similar bills, though they are not identical versions of bills that would allow an extension of the updated version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.

Versions of the bill passed by lawmakers conflict with each other. The version passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee would allow extension of the updated FISA up to 2017, if it goes through. On the other hand, the version approved by a Senate Judiciary Committee would allow extension only up to 2015.

Though the Obama Administration is keen to get the extension of the law approved by the Congress within the next two weeks, the efforts have met with significant opposition. Some lawmakers are willing to delay approval of the law unless the Administration and other lawmakers agree to stronger provisions for protecting the civil liberties of citizens.

While the law can still be extended by a session after the November 6 elections, intelligence officials are concerned over the timing as their powers under the law may run out by the end of 2012, if the law is not renewed. The new efforts and initiatives to renew the law are being made in the light of the impending adjournment of Congress for an election break later this month.

However, both republicans and a lobby of Democrats insistent on securing assurances over civil liberties seem determined not to allow the administration pressurize them into glossing over loopholes in a hurry. Many legislators refuse to budge from their stands unless they see the loopholes plugged and refuse to rise to the bait of reacting to impending future crises by providing immediate solutions, and heedlessly renewing the spying law.

Apparently, Senator Ron Wyden, a Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has placed a “hold” on the bill and refuses to lift it until the Senate approves stronger protections against warrantless spying on Americans. According to Wyden, the Obama Administration had admitted that the spying program violated some rights of citizens regarding freedom from warrantless surveillance.