Senator Coons votes against four-year extension of Patriot Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today voted against a four-year extension of the Patriot Act, calling instead for a one-month extension that would allow more substantive debate and the consideration of amendments based on the bipartisan reauthorization bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In a speech on the Senate floor just before voting began, Senator Coons said the Senate was abdicating its responsibility to review and update the law by voting on a four-year extension with no changes. He requested unanimous consent to extend the PATRIOT Act for one month to allow more time for debate and the consideration of amendments.

"The powers of the PATRIOT Act are too important for us to risk their expiration, as this body considers whether or not to amend them or revise them,” Senator Coons said. “I offered a one-month extension in order that this body might take the time that I think is so needed and so deserved to seriously debate and conduct real oversight over the PATRIOT Act.”

In full remarks entered into the record, Senator Coons continued:

“Because of the broad scope of the new authorities contained in PATRIOT, the bipartisan drafters of the bill insisted upon placing sunsets on key provisions to ensure that Congress periodically reviewed how they were being used and assessed whether they were still essential to our security. Even in the unnerving weeks after 9/11 — an extraordinary time in the history of this Congress and this nation — the authors of the Patriot Act knew that the powers they were granting needed to be monitored.

“Sunsets only work, however, if we in Congress have the innate courage to ask the difficult questions when they arise.  If, instead, Congress shies away from the tough debate and simply extends the sunsets for another four years, we surrender our responsibility to consider whether specific provisions should be amended, reauthorized, or allowed to expire. If the proposed four-year extension passes without amendment, it will have been nine years before Congress votes on reforms to PATRIOT. Nine years. What’s the point of having sunsets in this bill if we are going to ignore our oversight responsibilities?”