NATIONAL SECURITY/POLITICS: “A bipartisan pair of senators vowed Wednesday [12-20-17] to mount a filibuster of any long-term extension of a key surveillance law, complicating the efforts of congressional leaders to keep one of the most important spying tools in the government’s arsenal from expiring.
Sens. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, and Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said they would block consideration of any long-term extension of the surveillance law. Both men are longtime proponents of strong privacy and civil liberties protections…
The senators’ threat to mount a filibuster—a delaying tactic in the U.S. Senate that can forestall consideration of a measure—further complicates the path forward for the spying law and means that U.S. authority to conduct foreign surveillance could expire…
Congressional leaders are hoping to attach a reauthorization of section 702 surveillance to a must-pass spending bill designed to keep the government funded through January.
But a bipartisan chorus on Capitol Hill remains opposed to coupling a spying law with a spending bill and many want major changes to the program before signing off on it. More than 30 House members and 10 senators from both parties have written letters urging leaders not to combine the measures and calling for more debate on the program.”
-Byron Tau, “Senators Threaten Filibuster to Block Key Surveillance Law,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 21, 2017 02:40pm