WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement following Senator Harry Reid’s announcement that the Senate would delay further debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) bill until January.  Earlier on Monday, Senator Cantwell voted against cloture because she had significant concerns that the original bill did not adequately protect the Constitutional rights of American citizens.  

 

Cantwell’s statement:

 

“The FISA proposal placed before the Senate did not strike an appropriate balance between respecting Americans’ constitutional rights while giving the government the tools it needs to spy on suspected terrorists and keep us safe.

 

“Yesterday's debate made it clear that debating something as important as intelligence surveillance should not be done on the fly.  

 

"Of particular concern to me was that while we must do all we can to protect innocent Americans we cannot at the same time provide blanket immunity for telecommunications companies, when we don’t know precisely what those companies did.  It's unacceptable and the administration and companies must be held accountable. Any immunity decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, examining whether the companies followed the law and acted in good faith.

 

“Congress must maintain vigilant oversight of the checks and balances, but especially when this administration’s over-reaching use of executive power has not only been called into question, but has been reversed by the courts.

 

“From warrantless wiretapping, to the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, to the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys – there are too many instances where this administration has not provided answers and has not made upholding the rule of law a priority.

 

“We have an obligation to give the government all the tools it needs to spy on suspected terrorists, but we also have a responsibility to respect our citizens’ constitutional rights and basic freedoms. Congress must craft a proposal that does both.”

 

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