Congress Approves Extension Of Warrantless Surveillance Powers Opposed By Civil Libertarians

As expected given there were only a handful of senators and House reps opposing, Congress has approved the short-term extension of the US government's warrantless surveillance powers:

Congress has approved a short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, punting to the new year a decision over how to reform the law.

Included in the defense policy bill headed to the president’s desk after approval by the House on Thursday is a measure that extends Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until mid-April.

Here's what Rep. Chip Roy of Texas had to say: "The fact of the matter is what’s being stated is it is impossible to oppose the National Defense Authorization Act because we put a pay raise in it or because we put something in there that is seemingly so important that we have to ignore the critical destruction of our civil liberties by adding FISA extension right on the top of it without doing the forms necessary to protect the American people."