In a rare overnight Senate session ending Saturday morning, opponents of the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' data blocked multiple attempts to extend the expiring Patriot Act laws used to justify the program.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who supports renewing the legislation in its current form but only asked for an extension due to a lack of support to advance the full measure, ended the night by scheduling a last-minute Sunday session just 24 hours before the surveillance law expires at midnight on May 31, the Associated Press reported.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., led the charge against the measures, first blocking a House-passed and Obama administration-supported bill that would supposedly rein in the NSA's spying powers by requiring telecommunications companies to store data rather than the government, and by imposing stricter limitations on how authorities could access that data. That bill, known as the USA Freedom Act, was blocked in a 57-42 vote, with opponents arguing that it doesn't go far enough to protect privacy. The second blocked measure was a two-month Patriot Act extension, which was voted down 54-45.
"This is a debate about whether a warrant with a single name of a single company can be used to collect all of the phone records of all of the people in our country with a single warrant," Paul, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, said during the floor debate, according to Bloomberg. "Our forefathers would be aghast."
"We should never give up our rights for a false sense of security," Paul said in a statement, reported AP. "This is only the beginning -- the first step of many. I will continue to do all I can until this illegal government spying program is put to an end, once and for all."
McConnell warned that allowing the measures to expire could jeopardize the nation's security. The Senate leader later made repeated requests for a shorter extension of the current Patriot Act law, but each time, Paul and opponents objected.
First, McConnell requested the law be extended to June 8, which was objected by Paul. Next, McConnell pushed for a June 5 extension, but Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden objected to that. A third attempt by McConnell at a June 3 deadline was blocked by Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and McConnell made a final attempt for a one-day extension to June 2, but Paul objected again.
Gasps were apparently heard throughout the chamber, coming from those shocked by the quick exchanges between McConnell and opponents, according to CNN.
McConnell then took off his microphone and gathered with his leadership team to determine the next course of action. He returned to announced that the Senate would adjourn for Memorial Day and come back on Sunday, May 31, just 24 hours before the law expires, to figure out a way to keep it alive.
"We'll be back on Sunday, May 31, one more opportunity to act responsibly to not allow this program to expire," he said around 1:30 a.m. "This is a high-threat period. We know what's going on overseas. We know what's been tried here at home. My colleagues, do we really want this law to expire?"
In expectation of a June 1 sunset of the Patriot Act, the NSA is already beginning to wind down its collection and data storage programs, reported AP.
