Bowling Green Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is leading the charge to protect Americans' civil liberties by calling on the Senate to remove domestic spying authority from the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Dr. Paul is pushing for reform to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which currently allows the U.S. government to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant.

A bipartisan group of 34 senators joined Dr. Paul in voting to remove the reauthorization of FISA from the annual NDAA. Unfortunately, the final vote tally fell six votes short of ending domestic spying authority.

In his prepared remarks ahead of the vote, Dr. Paul emphasized the unconstitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, stating, "So far as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows our government to spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant, it is unconstitutional."

Dr. Paul also expressed disappointment in the lack of meaningful reform to Section 702, which expires at the end of this year. He criticized the failure of Congress to prioritize reforms, stating, "the uniparty never seriously considered or prioritized reforms." He further added, "extending Section 702 robs Congress of the ability to make reforms now, and likely robs Congress of the opportunity to make reforms any time in the next year."

The senator highlighted the violation of Americans' civil liberties through warrantless surveillance, explaining, "Using 702, Americans' communications content and metadata is inevitably swept up and kept in government databases without a warrant. Law enforcement agencies then access Americans' communications without a warrant."

Dr. Paul also called out the argument that government is the only shield against threats, stating, "Those who make the lazy and predictable argument that government is your only shield from threats always fail to mention that government itself often is the threat."

In conclusion, Dr. Paul urged his fellow senators to stand by their oath to the Constitution and strip the extension of domestic spying authority from the defense bill. He emphasized the need to protect civil liberties and the integrity of the congressional conference committee process.

Dr. Paul's fight to protect civil liberties and remove domestic spying authority is a crucial step in ensuring the privacy and rights of American citizens. Despite falling short of the votes needed to end domestic spying authority, his efforts have shed light on the importance of reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.