Justin Amash to Reintroduce Defunding Bill, May Have Votes

(Credit: Gage Skidmore)
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Although his amendment to defund the surveillance programs of the National Security Agency (NSA) was defeated late last month, US Rep. Justin Amash is not giving up his fight for transparency and the Fourth Amendment.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Amash told host Candy Crowley that he is considering reintroducing his efforts as a full bill:

“It might not be exactly the same amendment. This was an amendment to an appropriations bill, so it had to be written in a very particular way.” His amendment failed 205-217, a difference of 12 with an equal number not voting.

Not discouraged by his amendment’s defeat, Amash said he thinks the votes might be there this time:

“I’ve certainly heard from a number of my colleagues, directly and through the media, that they feel differently about the amendment now that if they had a second chance, yeah, they might have voted yes on it.”

Amash also indicated a difference might be made from the most recent revelations that originated from NSA leaker Edward Snowden: that an internal audit showed almost 3,000 violations regarding surveillance of Americans from April 2011 through March 2012. Asked by Crowley whether this meant there was indeed accountability, Amash disputed the assertion, saying that the safeguards on the program that were promised by administration officials were revealed to be untrue because of the leaks, not government oversight:

“The system’s not working. Americans were told by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that there were zero privacy violations. We know that’s not true. Americans were assured by the president and others that the FISA Court had significant oversight and we’ve heard from the chief judge of the FISA Court who says that’s not true. And Americans have been told that their records have not been collected. They had [been told there were] no data collections by the director of national intelligence. We found out that wasn’t true.”

A week ago, Amash also alleged that key documents were withheld from incoming congressional members.

The war on privacy has seemingly taken on a life of its own since Snowden’s revelations became public at the beginning of the summer. Amash nearly succeeded in defunding the surveillance programs, but encrypted e-mail companies have quit their businesses, and the partner of Snowden’s media source, Glenn Greenwald, was detained for hours in the United Kingdom over the weekend. Perhaps partly in response, Greenwald has vowed to reveal even more of the secrets Snowden leaked to him. Regardless, the initial defeat of Amash’s amendment has not signaled that the focus of the NSA surveillance programs is going away anytime soon. However, Amash has not yet indicated when he might introduce it again.

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  1. Chelle McMurrey zero privacy violations??? that is because it is now written in and unspoken that they can share your information with anyone and everyone unless you OPT out of that!!
  2. Progressive Party of California – Bullmoose We will stand up and applaud that effort!
  3. DG Yeah right, you people are the ones shoving control from DC and abolition of states rights down everyone elses throat. You are nothing more than another authoritarian collectivist who wants to demand everyone do as you say, not as you do.. Like your lord and leader Pelosi, who wants everyone to be forced to take the mandated obamacare or pay a fine, yet she and her wealthy constituents are exempt, along with most of the rest of Congress. And 'progressive' authoritarians like yourself support these corrupt loons. You 'progressives' are merely neoliberal corporatists, so get your shit out of here you scumbag, you aren't "independent" in the least!
  4. Mark Olson Lets run it through again, we need what 13 votes! After the flack from the first vote, we might have it!
  5. Jacquie Brown Erickson Go for it!
  6. Wes Foley Vote on it everyday... It's that important.
  7. Steve Stratton I hope so, we need to get rid of the Patriot Act. I can understand it being implementated right after 9/11 but it never should have been a permanent law!
  8. J Paul Zoccali Man Claims To Be Jackie Onassis' Son; Resemblance Undeniable: Under Attack By Interested Parties for Twenty Years http://communicationbysymbol.blogspot.com/
  9. DG What? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Why would you simply not dismantle the agency all together? It is not responsible, or accountable to the American people whatsoever, as you can clearly see.. so it is unConstitutional. We aleady have an agency that investigates fraud, and another that, as you said "spies" (though the CIA is prohibited 'officially' from on citizens of the USA, intended to be only foreign spying, whereas the NSA is fully intended to spy on citizens). Your comment is a clear example of WHY we have so many agencies doing the same things. Instead of simply abolishing unConstitutional and horrible policies and agencies, you merely want to send the same crooks to another division to commit the same offenses over again... The reason we are in this mess in the first place is because of the Patriot Act.. Because of people like YOU, go to your 'progressive' authoritarian government, and -demand- "action" to solve problems that can't simply be solved by throwing more money and bodies at it. Hence we end up with multiple, fragmented, unaccountable agencies, put into ruling place for decades at a time, by "appointment" and not election, siphoning off money from the idiot tax payers who now somehow think they are "safer", all the while having their rights diminished and paying for it out of their own pocket... O, or I guess you thought all those DHS military vehicles, mounted with 50 caliber automatics, roaming the streets of Boston and intimidating/threatening innocent citizens, were "free" since you didn't pay for them out of your bank account, right? "Free" means we all take it in the ass to pay for it. Thank your public education system for your amazing diploma, that somehow lacked the requirement of passing at least ONE civics and economics class.
  10. DG Are you kidding me? LMAO, those are the same bafoons who voted in the current regime! The same group who support Feinstein, Pelosi, Reid, etc, all the worst scum in our administration. You think the delusional young will do anything but continue to vote for these idiots because they have nice soundbytes and a "hip" view on the ONE or TWO issues a young voter concerns themselves with? You my friend are engaging in some wishful thinking, and taking it to the extreme. This country is doomed.
15 comments
Chelle McMurrey
Chelle McMurrey

zero privacy violations??? that is because it is now written in and unspoken that they can share your information with anyone and everyone unless you OPT out of that!!

Mark Olson
Mark Olson

Lets run it through again, we need what 13 votes! After the flack from the first vote, we might have it!

Wes Foley
Wes Foley

Vote on it everyday... It's that important.

Steve Stratton
Steve Stratton

I hope so, we need to get rid of the Patriot Act. I can understand it being implementated right after 9/11 but it never should have been a permanent law!

Joshua Garber
Joshua Garber

NSA should not be involved in spying that is what CIA is for. As result of diversification during 9/11 we have too many agencies doing certain things. We would better with NSA being more involved in fraud with the billions lost each year.

Toby Sparks
Toby Sparks

All eyes are on the young progressives. Give em hell! Shrink the govt and it's oversight. Get rid of the Fed and the IRS. Let us keep what we make...Like we used to!

Carlos Perez
Carlos Perez

they only spy us to protect the 1% the rest of the people ...they dont care....!

Artist Jerry
Artist Jerry

The entire Patriot Act needs to go or they will just keep finding new ways to spy on us.

DG
DG

Yeah right, you people are the ones shoving control from DC and abolition of states rights down everyone elses throat. You are nothing more than another authoritarian collectivist who wants to demand everyone do as you say, not as you do.. Like your lord and leader Pelosi, who wants everyone to be forced to take the mandated obamacare or pay a fine, yet she and her wealthy constituents are exempt, along with most of the rest of Congress. And 'progressive' authoritarians like yourself support these corrupt loons. You 'progressives' are merely neoliberal corporatists, so get your shit out of here you scumbag, you aren't "independent" in the least!

DG
DG

What? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Why would you simply not dismantle the agency all together? It is not responsible, or accountable to the American people whatsoever, as you can clearly see.. so it is unConstitutional. We aleady have an agency that investigates fraud, and another that, as you said "spies" (though the CIA is prohibited 'officially' from on citizens of the USA, intended to be only foreign spying, whereas the NSA is fully intended to spy on citizens).

Your comment is a clear example of WHY we have so many agencies doing the same things. Instead of simply abolishing unConstitutional and horrible policies and agencies, you merely want to send the same crooks to another division to commit the same offenses over again...

The reason we are in this mess in the first place is because of the Patriot Act.. Because of people like YOU, go to your 'progressive' authoritarian government, and -demand- "action" to solve problems that can't simply be solved by throwing more money and bodies at it. Hence we end up with multiple, fragmented, unaccountable agencies, put into ruling place for decades at a time, by "appointment" and not election, siphoning off money from the idiot tax payers who now somehow think they are "safer", all the while having their rights diminished and paying for it out of their own pocket...

O, or I guess you thought all those DHS military vehicles, mounted with 50 caliber automatics, roaming the streets of Boston and intimidating/threatening innocent citizens, were "free" since you didn't pay for them out of your bank account, right? "Free" means we all take it in the ass to pay for it. Thank your public education system for your amazing diploma, that somehow lacked the requirement of passing at least ONE civics and economics class.

DG
DG

Are you kidding me? LMAO, those are the same bafoons who voted in the current regime! The same group who support Feinstein, Pelosi, Reid, etc, all the worst scum in our administration. You think the delusional young will do anything but continue to vote for these idiots because they have nice soundbytes and a "hip" view on the ONE or TWO issues a young voter concerns themselves with? You my friend are engaging in some wishful thinking, and taking it to the extreme. This country is doomed.