Protecting the Civil Liberties of All Americans is Our Constitutional Duty

Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after voting against S. 139 – FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act:

“Protecting American citizens is among my top priorities, but security does not have to come at the expense of Americans’ Constitutional rights. I have long held concerns that intelligence operations have not prioritized civil liberties, and in an effort to improve this legislation, I offered an amendment that would have required a warrant from a district court before any information on an American citizen collected under this act could be accessed. Unfortunately, my amendment was not made in order. While I believe this legislation offers improvements over current law, I voted against this legislation because it does not go far enough in safeguarding Americans from unlawful surveillance. One of the things that makes our country great – and distinguishes our legal system from that of other countries – is we give our citizens the right to due process. We must fight to maintain those precious freedoms.”