WASHINGTON, June 12 (Sputnik) — Baldwin was the only Senate Democrat to vote against the USA Freedom Act. She cosponsored an amendment by Senators Ron Wyden and Rand Paul that sought to address Section 702. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to give the amendment a vote, according to the release.
“It is long past time for Congress to take action on this loophole that allows for warrantless backdoor searches of the content of Americans' personal communications,” Baldwin said on Thursday.
The amendment would cover e-mails and other communications under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was not modified by the new USA Freedom Act signed into law on June 2, 2015.
“I’m proud to introduce this amendment so that we reign in government overreach and strengthen the civil liberties and freedoms of law abiding Americans that are guaranteed by our constitution,” Baldwin said in the release.
A bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives led by Representatives Ted Poe, Zoe Lofgren and Thomas Massie have also introduced new legislation to achieve the same end, the release said.
