    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [August 5, 2007]
    [Pages 1044-1045]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Congressional Passage of Intelligence Reform Legislation
    August 5, 2007

        When our intelligence professionals have the legal tools to gather
    information about the intentions of our enemies, America is safer. And
    when these same legal tools also protect the civil liberties of
    Americans, then we can have the confidence to know that we can preserve
    our freedoms while making America safer.
        The Protect America Act, passed with bipartisan support in the House
    and Senate, achieves both of these goals by modernizing the Foreign
    Intelligence Surveillance Act. Over the past three decades, this law has
    not kept pace with revolutionary changes in technology. As a result, our
    intelligence professionals have told us that they are missing
    significant intelligence information that they need to protect the
    country.
        S. 1927 reforms FISA by accounting for changes in technology and
    restoring the statute to its original focus on appropriate protections
    for the rights of persons in the United States and not foreign targets
    located in foreign lands.
        Today, we face a dynamic threat from enemies who understand how to
    use modern technology against us. Whether foreign terrorists, hostile
    nations, or other actors, they change their tactics frequently and seek
    to exploit the very openness and freedoms we hold dear. Our tools to
    deter them must also be dynamic and flexible enough to meet the
    challenges they pose. This law gives our intelligence professionals this
    greater flexibility while closing a dangerous gap in our intelligence
    gathering activities that threatened to weaken our defenses.
        We know that information we have been able to acquire about foreign
    threats will help us detect and prevent attacks on our homeland. Mike
    McConnell, the Director of National
    Intelligence, has assured me that this bill gives him the most immediate
    tools he needs to defeat the intentions of our enemies. And so in
    signing this legislation today, I am heartened to know that his critical
    work will be strengthened, and we will be better armed to prevent
    attacks in the future.
        I commend Members of Congress who supported these important reforms
    and also for acting before adjourning for recess. In particular, I want
    to thank Mitch McConnell and
    John Boehner for their strong leadership on
    this issue and Senators Kit Bond
    and Dianne Feinstein for coming together in
    the Senate on an effective bipartisan solution. In the House of
    Representatives, Pete Hoekstra and Heather
    Wilson were instrumental in securing
    enactment of this vital piece of legislation before the August recess,
    and I thank them for their leadership.
        While I appreciate the leadership it took to pass this bill, we must
    remember that our work is not done. This bill is a temporary, narrowly
    focused statute to deal with the most immediate shortcomings in the law.
        When Congress returns in September, the intelligence committees and
    leaders in both parties will need to complete work

    [[Page 1045]]

    on the comprehensive reforms requested by Director McConnell, including the important issue of providing
    meaningful liability protection to those who are alleged to have
    assisted our Nation following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

    Note: The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    version of this statement.