Jones Votes Against Bill That Permits Unnecessary Government Spying | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Last week, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) voted against legislation that would allow the federal government to continue violating the privacy of American citizens through unnecessary spying. The USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 3361) was originally introduced as a bill to rein in the National Security Agency (NSA), but multiple revisions resulted in the inclusion of language that actually legalizes the government's mass collection of information.

    H.R. 3361 would reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act through 2017 – including Section 215, which the NSA claims as its legal authority to engage in the mass collection of American telephone records. Furthermore, the bill would specifically allow the collection of records from broad sources such as an entire area code, zip code, or all the emails from accounts beginning with a certain letter. It would also provide the authority to declassify Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court orders, opinions, and decisions to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who previously lied under oath regarding the government's information-gathering practices.

    "Unfortunately, what started as a bill aimed at protecting the American people will now only serve to further erode our right to privacy," said Congressman Jones. "We need to enact reforms that require accountability in our information-gathering practices, not provide the government with further authority to infringe on the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens."

    Congressman Jones has voted against every reauthorization and extension of the Patriot Act since it became law in 2001 and has been a consistent champion of limiting government surveillance of the American people – including voting against CISPA, SOPA, and the FISA Amendments Act.


    Sarah Howard
      Communications Director

    Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3)

     2333 Rayburn House Office Building
     Washington, DC 20515

     sarah.howard@mail.house.gov  •  (202) 225-3415