Sen. Rand Paul Blocks the Renewal of Patriot Act

◼ ‘One step closer to restoring liberty’ - Press Release

Earlier this evening, Sen. Rand Paul voted against further consideration of the USA Freedom Act as it currently extends key provisions of the Patriot Act until 2017. Sen. Paul led the charge against the Patriot Act extension and offered the following statement:

“In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans were eager to catch and punish the terrorists who attacked us. I, like most Americans, demanded justice. But one common misconception is that the Patriot Act applies only to foreigners—when in reality, the Patriot Act was instituted precisely to widen the surveillance laws to include U.S. citizens,” Sen. Paul said, “As Benjamin Franklin put it, ‘those who trade their liberty for security may wind up with neither.’ Today’s vote to oppose further consideration of the Patriot Act extension proves that we are one step closer to restoring civil liberties in America.”

◼ Ted Cruz, Rand Paul at Odds Over Revisions to Patriot Act - Newsmax

A bipartisan Senate bill that revises the 2001 USA Patriot Act to better protect the civil liberties of ordinary Americans is dividing two Republican presidential hopefuls. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is a co-sponsor of the measure while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul opposes it, The Daily Caller reported.

The Patriot Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming and bipartisan support in the aftermath of al-Qaida's 2001 attack on the U.S. homeland. It gives law enforcement authorities tools they did not previously have to uncover plans by terrorist groups to carry out further attacks. The law expires June 1, 2015.