    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 6 (Monday, February 18, 2008)]
    [Page 185]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Intelligence Reform Legislation

    February 13, 2008

        Director, thank you for joining me. Good morning. At this moment,
    somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning new attacks on our
    country. Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that will make
    September the 11th pale by comparison. To carry out their plans, they
    must communicate with each other, they must recruit operatives, and they
    must share information.
        The lives of countless Americans depend on our ability to monitor
    these communications. Our intelligence professionals must be able to
    find out who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and
    what they're planning.
        To help our intelligence agencies do this, Congress passed the
    Protect America Act last year. Unfortunately, Congress set the law to
    expire on February the 1st and then failed to pass new legislation that
    would keep these tools in effect over the long run. And so at the 11th
    hour, Congress passed a temporary 15-day extension of the current law,
    which will expire at midnight this Saturday. I signed that extension. I
    did so to give Members of the House and the Senate more time to work out
    their differences.
        Well, the Senate has used this time wisely. I am pleased that last
    night, Senators approved new legislation that will ensure our
    intelligence professionals have the tools they need to make us safer,
    and they did so by a wide, bipartisan majority. The Senate bill also
    provides fair and just liability protections for companies that did the
    right thing and assisted in defending America after the attacks of
    September the 11th.
        In order to be able to discover enemy--the enemy's plans, we need
    the cooperation of telecommunication companies. If these companies are
    subjected to lawsuits that could cost them billions of dollars, they
    won't participate, they won't help us, they won't help protect America.
    Liability protection is critical to securing the private sector's
    cooperation with our intelligence efforts. The Senate has passed a good
    bill and has shown that protecting our Nation is not a partisan issue.
    And I congratulate the Senators.
        Unfortunately, the House has failed to pass a good bill. And now
    House leaders say they want still more time to reach an agreement with
    the Senate on a final bill. They make this claim even though it is clear
    that the Senate bill, the bill passed last night, has significant
    bipartisan support in the House.
        Congress has had over 6 months to discuss and deliberate. The time
    for debate is over. I will not accept any temporary extension. House
    Members have had plenty of time to pass a good bill. They have already
    been given a 2-week extension beyond the deadline they set for
    themselves. If Republicans and Democrats in the Senate can come together
    on a good piece of legislation, there is no reason why Republicans and
    Democrats in the House cannot pass the Senate bill immediately.
        The House's failure to pass the bipartisan Senate bill would
    jeopardize the security of our citizens. As Director McConnell has told
    me, without this law, our ability to prevent new attacks will be
    weakened, and it will become harder for us to uncover terrorist plots.
    We must not allow this to happen. It is time for Congress to ensure the
    flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted. It is time for Congress to
    pass a law that provides a long-term foundation to protect our country.
    And they must do so immediately.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:01 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to H.R. 3773.