Patriot Act Extension Passes Senate, Rand Paul Amendments Fail

[cal04]

Source: Huffington Post

The Senate voted 72-23 Thursday to extend the government's Patriot Act powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. The action comes a month after intelligence and military forces hunted down Osama bin Laden.

Facing a midnight deadline when three terror-fighting tools would expire, the Senate struggled to find a way to stage a final vote in the face of continued resistance from a single senator, Republican freshman Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul's amendment, which would restrict law enforcement from accessing firearm receipts, failed to pass the Senate on Thursday afternoon.

Following the Senate vote on the bill, the House was expected to quickly approve the legislation for President Barack Obama's signature.

The measure would add four years to the legal life of roving wiretaps, court-ordered searches of business records and surveillance of non-American "lone wolf" suspects without confirmed ties to terrorist groups.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/patriot-act-extension-passes-senate_n_867736.html

[Drale]

1. Thats a strange amendment for Rand to introduce

makes me wonder if he's planning something that involves a bunch of guns.

[sabrina 1]

2. Only one Senator resisted extending it?

Tell me again why we thought having a majority would help undo the years of harm done by the Bush administration??

[Citizen Worker]

3. Yes, Sabrina I too am waiting for the "change."

[karynnj]

7. This Patriot Act does not have many of things that were bad

with the first one, some problems were corrected in 2006, some in, I think, 2009. In 2001, Feingold the only Senator against it, said that he thought about 80% was good and needed - but that the remaining 20% was why he voted "no".

The fact is that many tools used to stop international money laundering - that the banks and both parties fought in the 1990s are in that bill. Those tools have been used to track money to non-state terrorist, international criminals - and they were used to track money that was illegally sheltered from taxes.

Now, the one Senator against it is Rand Paul. I would assume that if people like Bernie Sanders are for it - and only Rand Paul against it - and you can see the amendments he wanted, it might be that the bill is no longer as bad as you think.

[JonLP24]

12. Feingold voted against both the later versions

Also Bernie Sanders voted against this extension.

[karynnj]

19. I knew that Feingold did

I was going by the op as the vote was not then listed.

[sabrina 1]

16. Actually it seems that eight Senators voted against it,

including Bernie Sanders. So, I was incorrect in thinking only Paul was against it.

It looks like 5 Dems, 2 Republicans, Murkowsky from Alaska and Paul, and 1 Ind, Sanders.

[xoom]

4. at least someone stood up for the constitution...

Even if he is a racist POS.

[ixion]

5. changiness!

:eyes:

[earcandle]

6. Its Obama theater!

http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/a_shakespeare_refresher_for_president_obama_20110525/?ln

[gtar100]

8. They will put their reasons for doing this in language that sounds like it's in our best interest

but in reality, the politicians who voted for it do *not* have our best interests at heart. Our government has become a pathetic shell of its former self and is now all about corporate interests. How incredibly sickening these politicians are. They deserve their ultimate fate. They are on the wrong side of justice.

[whoneedstickets]

9. Roll Call Results in Senate, Paul did not vote against the bill

he voted present.


Senate Vote Counts

Yeas - 74

Nays - 13

Present - 1

Not Voting - 12



Not Voting on the Patriot Act on May 24th - 12

1. Blunt (R-MO) on Senate Appropriations Committee, Foreign Operations

2. Carper (D-DE) on Homeland Security Committee

3. ••Feinstein (D-CA) on Appropriations Committee, Defense

4. Hagan (D-NC) on Senate Committee on Armed Services

5. Hutchison (R-TX) Appropriations, Defense

6. Johnson (D-SD) Appropriations, Defense

7. Landrieu (D-LA) on Homeland Security Committee

8. ~Leahy (D-VT) on Homeland Security Committee, Foreign Operations

9. Lieberman (ID-CT) Chairman of Senate Homeland Security Committee

10. McCaskill (D-MO) on Homeland Security Committee

11. Roberts (R-KS) Senate Committee on Finance.

12. Schumer (D-NY) Senate Chairman subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security,Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control

Voting "Present" - 1

Paul, (R, KY) on Homeland Security Committee



Voting Nay - 13

Begich (D-AK)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Heller (R-NV)

Lee (R-UT)

Merkley (D-OR)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Sanders (I-VT)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Wyden (D-OR)

________


Voted Yea - 74

Akaka (D-HI)

Alexander (R-TN)

Ayotte (R-NH)

Barrasso (R-WY)

Baucus (D-MT)

Bennet (D-CO)

Blumenthal (D-CT)

Boozman (R-AR)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Brown (R-MA)

Burr (R-NC)

Cardin (D-MD)

Casey (D-PA)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coats (R-IN)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Collins (R-ME)

Conrad (D-ND)

Coons (D-DE)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Crapo (R-ID)

DeMint (R-SC)

Durbin (D-IL)

Enzi (R-WY)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Harkin (D-IA)

Hatch (R-UT)

Hoeven (R-ND)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Inouye (D-HI)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Johnson (R-WI)

Kerry (D-MA)

Kirk (R-IL)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Kyl (R-AZ)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Levin (D-MI)

Lugar (R-IN)

Manchin (D-WV)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Moran (R-KS)

Murray (D-WA)

Nelson (D-FL)

Nelson (D-NE)

Portman (R-OH)

Pryor (D-AR)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Risch (R-ID)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Rubio (R-FL)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Snowe (R-ME)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Thune (R-SD)

Toomey (R-PA)

Vitter (R-LA)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wicker (R-MS)

[KoKo]

10. Good News! Dems managed to get this one through. We need those protections

given the Terror threats of Nukes from Iran and North Korea that our President met with Russian PM to try to talk about. It seems the Russian PM was "cool" to our Presiden't request for the Missile Shields.

I assume the Russian PM doesn't understand how important it is for all of us to have PROTECTION. I'm sure Russia will never bother with protecting themselves agains ATTACK of CITIZENS like, fortunately our US Government is having the foresight to deal with.

Stupid Russians. They think they have it good now...but they better remember the COLD WAR. They better not get too big for their britches. They have their own problems.

:sarcasm:

[DCBob]

11. Rand Paul thinks in a different dimension...

and not sure its earthly.

[Marblehead]

13. very depressing

where's the change??

[girl gone mad]

14. sigh.

[digitaln3rd]

15. 72-23?!

Really? Now can the argument that the two parties aren't the same be put to rest, already?

Absolutely pathetic.

[Nihil]

20. Nearly ...

> 72-23?!
> Really? Now can the argument that the two parties aren't the same
> be put to rest, already?

Not quite but there is little doubt that (at least) 72 of the senators
are in the Republican side of "The Party".

[krabigirl]

17. sad. at least 23 people have some sense.

[cal04]

18. Congress approves extension of expiring Patriot Act provisions

The U.S. House followed the Senate on Thursday in voting to extend three key provisions of the Patriot Act scheduled to expire at midnight, sending the measure to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.

By a 250-153 vote, the Republican-led House agreed to extend the expiring provisions of the law passed after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They deal with roving wiretaps, the tracking of alleged "lone wolf" terrorists and the ability of law enforcement officials to obtain any records they deem relevant to an investigation after securing an order from a federal court.

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said Obama, attending the G8 summit in France, directed the use of an autopen -- a signature reproduction device -- to sign the measure once Congress approved it. The legislation was to be hand-delivered to the White House after the final vote and certification n Congress.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/26/congress.patriot.act/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1