The 67-32 vote in favor of the USA Freedom Act was a stinging rebuke of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership team, who failed to persuade many GOP senators to make what they argued were critical changes to the bill. The measure, which passed the House last month, now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.
McConnell, quoting a recent newspaper article, called the vote a “resounding victory for Edward Snowden. It is also a resounding victory for those currently plotting attacks against the homeland.”
The legislation reforms the government’s controversial bulk-data phone data program and resuscitates expired PATRIOT Act provisions that allow for roving wiretaps of suspected terrorists, as well as a “lone wolf” program targeting individuals not affiliated with known terrorist groups.
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