[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S333-S334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PATRIOT ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, a small number of provisions of the USA 
PATRIOT Act are due to expire. Senate Democrats stand ready to provide 
law enforcement with all necessary tools to keep Americans safe from 
terrorism. Democrats supported the original PATRIOT Act that was passed 
in 2001. We supported the reauthorization bill that passed the Senate 
unanimously this past summer. And we support reauthorization of the 
PATRIOT Act now with modest improvements.

[[Page S334]]

  A reauthorization bill should continue to provide the Government with 
the tools it needs to fight terrorism but must also include sufficient 
checks to protect against potential governmental abuse of these 
expansive powers. There is widespread bipartisan support for a 
reauthorization bill that will protect both national security and the 
rights of innocent Americans.
  I applaud Senators Sununu, Craig, Murkowski, and Hagel for their 
principled stand on this issue. I urge the White House to work with 
these Senators and with Senators Leahy and Specter to craft a bill that 
all Senators can support. If a compromise cannot be reached before the 
end of this week, we are willing to enact another short-term extension 
of the current law. There has already been discussion of a 6-week 
extension of the act to give negotiators time to finalize a long-term 
reauthorization bill. That approach will be satisfactory to this side 
of the aisle. We do not want the PATRIOT Act to expire. There is no 
reason it should.

                          ____________________