SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) declared during the floor debate ahead of the vote, "The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it."
House Votes Down Crucial Amendment Designed to Halt NSA Warrentless Surveillance of Americans
"The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don’t have to follow it."
Jan 11, 2018
Over the objection of privacy advocates and dashing the hopes of civil libertarians, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted down an amendent to a controversial bill that would have made it harder for intelligence agencies and law enforcement from sweeping up and accessing massive amounts of data on American citizens without a warrant.
In a final vote of 233 to 183, the amendment submitted by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) was defeated despite its proponents arguing that its protections were vital in order to maintain the government's mandate to uphold the 4th Amendment of the Consitution which prohibits search and seizure absent a judicial warrant or probable cause.
Digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which had lobbied in favor of the Amash amendment, voiced disappointment in the result:
\u201cBREAKING: The House fails to pass the Amash\nAmendment to rein in NSA surveillance abuses\u00a0(vote count 183-233),\ncreating a pathway for the continued warrantless surveillance of\ncountless Americans.\u201d— EFF (@EFF) 1515687482
According to EFF, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) "said it best" during the floor debate ahead of the vote when he declared, "The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Over the objection of privacy advocates and dashing the hopes of civil libertarians, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted down an amendent to a controversial bill that would have made it harder for intelligence agencies and law enforcement from sweeping up and accessing massive amounts of data on American citizens without a warrant.
In a final vote of 233 to 183, the amendment submitted by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) was defeated despite its proponents arguing that its protections were vital in order to maintain the government's mandate to uphold the 4th Amendment of the Consitution which prohibits search and seizure absent a judicial warrant or probable cause.
Digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which had lobbied in favor of the Amash amendment, voiced disappointment in the result:
\u201cBREAKING: The House fails to pass the Amash\nAmendment to rein in NSA surveillance abuses\u00a0(vote count 183-233),\ncreating a pathway for the continued warrantless surveillance of\ncountless Americans.\u201d— EFF (@EFF) 1515687482
According to EFF, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) "said it best" during the floor debate ahead of the vote when he declared, "The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it."
Over the objection of privacy advocates and dashing the hopes of civil libertarians, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted down an amendent to a controversial bill that would have made it harder for intelligence agencies and law enforcement from sweeping up and accessing massive amounts of data on American citizens without a warrant.
In a final vote of 233 to 183, the amendment submitted by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) was defeated despite its proponents arguing that its protections were vital in order to maintain the government's mandate to uphold the 4th Amendment of the Consitution which prohibits search and seizure absent a judicial warrant or probable cause.
Digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which had lobbied in favor of the Amash amendment, voiced disappointment in the result:
\u201cBREAKING: The House fails to pass the Amash\nAmendment to rein in NSA surveillance abuses\u00a0(vote count 183-233),\ncreating a pathway for the continued warrantless surveillance of\ncountless Americans.\u201d— EFF (@EFF) 1515687482
According to EFF, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) "said it best" during the floor debate ahead of the vote when he declared, "The Fourth Amendment does not have an asterisk that says our intelligence agencies don't have to follow it."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.