Washington, D.C. (April 12, 2024) | Today, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) released the following statement following his vote against H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. The bill passed the House, 273-147:
“Americans’ right to privacy, as guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is paramount and non-negotiable. While reauthorizing FISA is an important tool to protect our national security interests, it is crucial to ensure that the federal government stays within their explicitly defined boundaries.
“In recent years, the federal government has used their surveillance powers to conduct warrantless, unconstitutional searches and unlawful collections of Americans’ personal information. As a champion of the Fourth Amendment and reforming FISA, I supported an amendment to FISA Section 702, which would have required the FBI to obtain a warrant before infringing on the privacy of Americans. Since the amendment failed, I believe the reauthorization bill that passed today lacked the safeguards to protect Americans’ privacy rights. If the intelligence community needs to access an American citizen’s data, they must be required to get a warrant, as set forth in federal law.”
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