Sensenbrenner Statement on Status of PATRIOT Act Conference Agreement

Contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn, 202-225-2492, both of the House Judiciary Committee Staff

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) released the following statement regarding the status of the House-Senate PATRIOT Act conference agreement:

"Two days ago, House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement on a conference report that provides those entrusted with protecting the American people with the tools and resources necessary to do their jobs. The agreement was reached after an extensive and bipartisan legislative and oversight process. The House Judiciary Committee, which I chair, takes its oversight responsibilities seriously, particularly concerning the authorities granted in the PATRIOT Act; thus, this Committee has been very aggressive in its PATRIOT Act oversight, which has been made available to the public http://judiciary.house.gov/Printshop.aspx?section=44

"Most notably, this agreement permanently tears down 'the wall' that prior to 9/11 prohibited the sharing of information between the law enforcement and intelligence communities and hindered their ability to 'connect the dots.' I am concerned the recent snag in support for the agreement gets us a little closer to rebuilding 'the wall.' We must permanently eliminate 'the wall' -- and this agreement does that.

Sen. Kyl said Specter was trying to continue negotiating with Ted Kennedy to win his support! He apparently doesn't want to send this report to the floor on a party-line vote. Kyl said they had already watered down the Act to a fare-thee-well at the insistence of the Dems.

I have never joined in the bashing of Specter here, but this is intolerable. I don't give a rat's behind whether any Democrats vote for the extension of the Patriot Act - in fact, I hope they don't, it's something else we can use against them in next year's elections. And I'm sick of Republicans letting Ted Kennedy call the shots on legislation.

Thank you.

Sen. Kyl said Specter was trying to continue negotiating with Ted Kennedy to win his support!

I wonder if this has anything to do with Spectre's attempt to win "Kennedy's support"? What Ethics?

Republican lawmakers say that ties between Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and his brother's lobbying firm, KSA Consulting, may warrant investigation by the House ethics committee...

According to a June 13 article in The Los Angeles Times, the fiscal 2005 defense appropriations bill included more than $20 million in funding for at least 10 companies for whom KSA lobbied. Carmen Scialabba, a longtime Murtha aide, works at KSA as well.

KSA directly lobbied Murtha's office on behalf of seven companies, and a Murtha aide told a defense contractor that it should retain KSA to represent it, according to the LA Times.

In early 2004, Murtha reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A company called Lennar Inc. had right to the land, and Laurence Pelosi, nephew to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was an executive with the firm at that time.

Murtha also inserted earmarks in defense bills that steered millions of dollars in federal research funds toward companies owned by children of fellow Pennsylvania Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D). ..

The PATRIOT Act is essential to success in the War on Terror and for protection of the populace. Considering that it was initially passed without a great deal of deliberation means that Congress should consider it somewhat carefully this time around, but these hold-ups have more to do with politics than any reasoned opposition to parts of the PATRIOT Act.

Pass it and get on with the nation's business!

I'm with you: "but these hold-ups have more to do with politics than any reasoned opposition to parts of the PATRIOT Act is exactly right. Patriot Act has been deliberated, talked, thought, debated, rambled. What's there to debate about? It's all about dilante "politics" in a time of war. What annointed Princes. They'll get first word of an attack, be rushed off to safety; the rest of the great unwashed will get hammered and dead, next day the politicos holding up this process will pound for More TaxDollars to "save" the People of the US. And "Blame Bush".

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