The Senate voted 62-37 Tuesday night to pass a House bill that resumes clauses in the Patriot Ac t that expired Sunday night and left the NSA without power to collect phone data of suspected terrorists.
The bill revises the Patriot Act and ends the freedom of the NSA to collect data on everyone, even if not suspected of terror.
The new bill calls for phone companies to collect and forces the NSA to receive court permission to access records.
President Barack Obama signed the bill into law after tweeting:
Glad the Senate finally passed the USA Freedom Act. It protects civil liberties and our national security. I’ll sign it as soon as I get it.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who failed to block the passage of the bill, said, This is a step in the wrong direction. [It[ does not enhance the privacy protections of American citizens. And it surely undermines American security by taking one more tool from our warfighters at exactly the wrong time.”
House speaker John House Speaker John Boehner responded, “This legislation is critical to keeping Americans safe from terrorism and protecting their civil liberties. I applaud the Senate for renewing our nation’s foreign intelligence capabilities.”