CQ
Published: 07-09-08
The Senate Tuesday resumed consideration of a rewrite of electronic surveillance guidelines and began debate on several apparently doomed amendments.
The chamber is on schedule to clear the bill early Wednesday after delaying votes to accommodate senators attending the funeral of former Sen. Jesse Helms R-N.C.
The legislation would overhaul the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The White House supports the bill assuming a series of amendments it opposes fail as expected.
Majority Leader Harry Reid D-Nev. said he indicated to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky. that he planned to have a final vote on the bill before the scheduled Republican party lunch.
“We’re going to do everything we can to complete all the votes before the Republican caucus tomorrow” Reid said. If they don’t finish there might be a vote after the lunch he said.
Bush administration officials have signaled their opposition to all three amendments pending to the bill.
Each would modify or cut out a provision of the bill that would effectively wipe out lawsuits against companies being sued for assisting President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program.
“I do believe at this point in time to give this retroactive immunity kind of makes a mockery of the fact that we’re supposed to be a government of laws not people” said Sen. Barbara Boxer D-Calif.
The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee however argued against the amendments.
“Private companies who cooperated with the government in good faith as the facts before the congressional intelligence committees demonstrate they did should not be held accountable for the president’s bad policy decisions” said Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV D-W.Va.
