May 13, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Congressional Constitution Caucus, issued the following statement after voting against the USA Freedom Act, H.R. 2048, today because it did not do enough to protect the privacy of innocent Americans:
“The American people demand transparency from their government, and they demand that their basic Constitutional right to privacy is upheld with every vote we take in Congress. I fully support our country’s anti-terrorist capabilities, but today’s bill does not do enough to protect the privacy and Fourth Amendment rights of millions of innocent Americans. In particular, we need to ensure the destruction of information collected about people who have no ties to terrorism, fully stop bulk data collection under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, and put an end to warrantless searches that government officials have used as justification for a mass collection of emails and phone calls. The only thing this bill does is further codify the ability of the government to trample our Constitutional rights.”
The USA Freedom Act does NOT:
Prohibit bulk data collection
Require the destruction of records not connected to terrorist investigations
Prohibit the government from conducting warrantless searches of communications of U.S. persons