Rep Amash plans bill to repeal CISA-like legislation included in omnibus

Rep Justin Amash (R-MI) plans to introduce legislation to undo a cybersecurity law that critics say secretly allows the federal government to spy on Americans. The Cybersecurity Act of 2015 (CISA) was included in Congress' year-end spending bill, a piece of must-pass legislation known as the omnibus. “Many of my colleagues remain unaware that a massive surveillance bill was snuck into the omnibus,” Rep Amash said. “And if they are aware, they may have been misled into believing this bill is about cybersecurity.”

Rep Amash opposed CISA’s language in the bill before it passed, going so far as to circulate a letter citing tech companies’ opposition and calling it “anti-privacy legislation,” but to little avail. Rep Amash is part of the House Freedom Caucus, which, citing the omnibus’s large price tag, had already vowed to oppose the bill anyway, forcing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to find votes elsewhere.