House, Senate Republicans square off over PATRIOT Act

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House and Senate Republican leaders are locked in a standoff over one of the nation’s most controversial national security programs -- with each chamber refusing to budge, the clock ticking and patience running low. With key portions of the PATRIOT Act set to expire at the end of May, House Republicans are signaling they won’t accept anything other than their USA Freedom Act, which would end the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection program and passed the chamber by an overwhelming majority. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has repeatedly panned that proposal, and his leadership team is indicating the only thing that can clear the chamber is a temporary extension of current law, which would extend the NSA program revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden.

On May 18, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) maintained the Senate had only one option: pass the House bill. “I think when you get 338 votes, we’re meeting somebody in the middle,” Majority Leader McCarthy told reporters. “When you can get the Republicans and Democrats beyond veto-proof...I think that’s a great bill for the Senate to take.”


House, Senate Republicans square off over PATRIOT Act