    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 16, 2008]
    [Pages 217-218]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 16, 2008

        Good morning. At the stroke of midnight tonight, a vital
    intelligence law that is helping protect our Nation will expire.
    Congress had the power to prevent this from happening, but chose not to.
        The Senate passed a good bill that would have given our intelligence
    professionals the tools they need to keep us safe. But leaders in the
    House of Representatives blocked a House vote on the Senate bill and
    then left on a 10-day recess.
        Some congressional leaders claim that this will not affect our
    security. They are wrong. Because Congress failed to act, it will be
    harder for our Government to keep you safe from terrorist attack. At
    midnight, the Attorney General and the
    Director of National Intelligence will
    be stripped of their power to authorize new surveillance against
    terrorist threats abroad. This means that as terrorists change their
    tactics to avoid our surveillance, we may not have the tools we need to
    continue tracking them, and we may lose a vital lead that could prevent
    an attack on America.
        In addition, Congress has put intelligence activities at risk even
    when the terrorists don't change tactics. By failing to act, Congress
    has created a question about whether private sector companies who assist
    in our efforts to defend you from the terrorists could be sued for doing
    the right thing. Now, these companies will be increasingly reluctant to
    provide this vital cooperation because of their uncertainty about the
    law and fear of being sued by class-action trial lawyers.
        For 6 months, I urged Congress to take action to ensure this
    dangerous situation did not come to pass. I even signed a 2-week
    extension of the existing law because Members of Congress said they
    would use that time to work out their differences. The Senate used this
    time productively and passed a good bill with a strong, bipartisan
    supermajority of 68 votes. Republicans and Democrats came together on
    legislation to ensure that we could effectively monitor those seeking to
    harm our people. And they voted to provide fair and just liability
    protection for companies that assisted in efforts to protect America
    after the attacks of 9/11.
        The Senate sent this bill to the House for its approval. It was
    clear that if given a vote, the bill would have passed the House with a
    bipartisan majority. I made every effort to work with the House to
    secure passage of this law. I even offered to delay my trip to Africa if
    we could come together and enact a good bill. But House leaders refused
    to let the bill come to a vote. Instead, the House held partisan votes
    that do nothing to keep our country safer.

    [[Page 218]]

    House leaders chose politics over protecting the country, and our
    country is at greater risk as a result.
        House leaders have no excuse for this failure. They knew all along
    that this deadline was approaching because they set it themselves. My
    administration will take every step within our power to minimize the
    damage caused by the House's irresponsible behavior. Yet it is still
    urgent that Congress act. The Senate has shown the way by approving a
    good, bipartisan bill. The House must pass that bill as soon as they
    return to Washington from their latest recess.
        At this moment, somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning a
    new attack on America, and Congress has no higher responsibility than
    ensuring we have the tools to stop them.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 11:45 a.m. on February 15 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m., e.d.t., on
    February 16. The transcript was made available by the Office of the
    Press Secretary on February 15, but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. Due to the 6-hour time difference, the address was broadcast
    after the President's remarks in Benin. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.