[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4903]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE PROTECT AMERICA ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it's now 1:48 p.m. on Thursday 
afternoon. Throughout the Nation, folks are finishing the day shift, 
getting ready to finish the day shift. People who work the afternoon 
shift are getting ready for work. Those who work the night shift are 
probably snoozing a little bit so they can get up in a few moments and 
start it all over again this evening. And where's the House, Mr. 
Speaker? The House has gone home. The House has gone home.
  Now, why is that important? Well, we have just finished 2 weeks at 
home talking to constituents about issues great and small. They're 
concerned about a lot of things, Mr. Speaker. They're concerned about 
gas prices. They're concerned about the housing situation. And in my 
district, the Sixth District of Georgia, I get constant questions about 
national security: What is Congress doing to make certain that our 
Nation is safe? And that's important because, Mr. Speaker, today is the 
48th day, the 48th day, of a unilateral disarmament on behalf of the 
Democrat leadership of the House of Representatives.
  Why do I say that? Well, Mr. Speaker, we are at the 48th day now 
where the Protect America Act has been allowed to expire. This isn't 
going to happen in the future. This has happened. This Speaker, this 
Democrat leadership, has allowed the Protect America Act to expire.
  Now, what's the Protect America Act? Well, it's an act, a portion of 
amendments that were adopted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance 
Act shortly after 9/11. And what this portion of it allows that was 
allowed to expire is for the United States, our intelligence community, 
to listen or intercept electronic communication or phone communication 
between a foreign individual in a foreign land talking to a foreign 
individual in a foreign land. Not an American citizen, not on American 
soil. That means, Mr. Speaker, what they would be allowed to do is to 
listen to a potential terrorist or a terrorist talking to another 
potential terrorist or a terrorist outside the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, I asked every single group that I spoke with at home for 
2 weeks, who believes that our intelligence community ought not have 
the authority to do that, to listen to a terrorist talking to another 
terrorist outside the United States, talking potentially about how to 
do you, me, and our Nation harm? I didn't find a single individual who 
didn't think that was the right thing to do.
  But this leadership, this Speaker, this Democrat leadership has 
allowed that act to expire. Why? Because they believe that trial 
lawyers ought to have the ability to represent foreign individuals in 
the same way that the United States Constitution protects Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, that's wrong. Many in my district and I believe also 
that it's a dereliction of duty. It's an abrogation of duty. It's a 
violation of the oath that we take as Members of the House of 
Representatives to uphold the Constitution and to protect and defend 
the United States of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on this leadership, I call on this Speaker, to 
allow this House to vote on the Protect America Act, a bill, amendments 
that the Senate passed 68-29, in a bipartisan way; a bill that the 
majority of this House, the majority, Democrats and Republicans 
combined, have said they will support if allowed to vote on the floor. 
Mr. Speaker, this is essential to the protection of the United States 
of America and to reverse the unilateral disarmament that has come 
about because of the leadership of the majority party.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on this leadership to bring this bill up as soon 
as we come back next week and do the people's business.

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