[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 44 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
          THE TOOLS ARE IN PLACE TO PROTECT NATIONAL SECURITY

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the White House and congressional 
Republicans continue to play games with our Nation's national security. 
Rather than working with us to modernize the Foreign Intelligence 
Surveillance Act, Republicans insist that this House simply rubber-
stamp a bill that passed the Senate earlier this year.
  House Democrats refuse to do that. Instead, just as we did last 
November, we will bring a balanced bill to the floor today that gives 
our intelligence community the tools it needs to track terrorists and 
prevent another attack while also protecting the constitutional rights 
of innocent Americans.
  We believe this approach produces the best results for our 
intelligence community, and that is why we refuse to simply rubber-
stamp the Senate bill.
  Mr. Speaker, when House Republicans allowed the President's Protect 
America Act to expire last month, they did so knowing that all of the 
authorities granted the intelligence community in that act would be in 
place until this summer. We had time to get this legislation right, and 
today we intend to pass a strong compromise bill that should garner 
support on both sides of the aisle.

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