Sensenbrenner Threatens To Allow PATRIOT Act To Expire

From National Journal:

House Judiciary Chairman Sensenbrenner, saying a three-month extension of the USA PATRIOT Act is not "a feasible alternative" to reauthorizing it, threatened Tuesday to allow some provisions to expire if the Senate does not approve the conference report containing the reauthorization.

With key parts of the law set to expire at the end of the year, Sensenbrenner joined House Homeland Security Chairman King and Attorney General Gonzales at a news conference to try to derail an attempt by Democrats to buy more time by approving an extension instead of a reauthorization.

The conference report is set for a vote in the House today.

"I would like to tell the opponents of this conference report that [it] contains scores of civil liberties protections that were not in the original PATRIOT Act. If the conference report goes down, those improvements will be lost as well," Sensenbrenner said.

A threatened filibuster in the Senate might prevent passage of the legislation before Congress adjourns for the year, meaning the provisions would expire without a temporary extension. Sensenbrenner said the expiration of one provision would put "the American people at greater risk, starting with the wall going back up so the FBI and CIA cannot share notes. We cannot afford to have the wall go back up."

Sensenbrenner's comments came as Sens. John Sununu, R-N.H., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis., made impassioned speeches on the Senate floor Tuesday about problems they perceive with the conference report, which is headed for debate in both chambers this week.

Feingold and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, have both threatened to filibuster the reauthorization legislation and both conservative and civil liberties groups this week have sent letters urging senators to vote against cutting off debate. By Sarah Lai Stirland