Washington, DC – In response to reports that Republicans in the House of Representatives have filed a discharge petition in order to force a vote on a Senate-passed update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the American Civil Liberties Union released the following statement.

The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

"Contrary to the administration’s persistent fear mongering, the expiration of the Protect America Act has not caused the collapse of our intelligence capabilities. All that has happened is that an unnecessary law has not been renewed. In fact, while testifying before Congress yesterday, FBI Director Mueller claimed he was unaware of any wiretaps being imperiled or denied since the PAA lapsed.

"As all sides continue to negotiate on FISA reform, we strongly urge the House to remain steadfast. The House stood strong last month and we expect it to do so again. The bottom line here is that we are nine months away from a new president. There is no reason for this Congress to hand this administration a going away present of unfettered and warrantless wiretapping."

To read more about the ACLU’s work on FISA, go to:
www.aclu.org/fisa