WASHINGTON, May 21 (RIA Novosti) – Two amendments to cut funding for the US National Security Agency’s dragnet surveillance of US citizens have been introduced into the National Defense Authorization Act.
"We are offering amendments to the defense authorization bill to shut down the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' private information,” said Will Adams, press secretary to the initiator of the measure, Republican Justin Amash.
"We prefer to move comprehensive legislation like the USA Freedom Act, but if that legislation isn't considered by the House this week, we'll be ready with alternatives to force the debate,” Adams told RIA Novosti.
The issue “is moving very fast,” he said, adding that the USA Freedom Act is on the calendar for consideration within the coming week. The bipartisan act currently has 152 co-sponsors and seeks to introduce greater oversight into the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).
The NDAA amendments mark the third attempt by Amash to put restraints on the NSA. In the summer of 2013, Amash introduced legislation with senior congressman John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to “restrict the federal government’s ability under the Patriot Act to collect information on Americans who are not connected to an ongoing investigation.” The Amash-Conyers proposal was narrowly defeated in July by 12 votes.
The debate over protecting Americans’ privacy erupted when former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents to the press.
Those documents revealed the wide-reaching powers given to the NSA after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The most controversial were dragnet domestic surveillance, and questionable changes to the 1978 FISA act. The leaked Snowden documents also revealed how the NSA monitored the calls of 35 world leaders.
The 2015 NDAA passed the Armed Services Committee and is currently being considered in the House Rules Committee.
