Homeland Security / Civil Liberties

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Lofgren’s Statement on PATRIOT Act Reauthorization
   
December 8, 2005  

Washington, DC – Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) declined to sign the House and Senate Conference Report filed today regarding legislation to reauthorize the USA PATRIOT Act and offered the following statement:

“During the last four years, the Republicans in Congress have not done their job in overseeing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) use of its new powers under the USA PATRIOT Act.  I tried for months to get detailed information from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about DOJ’s use of PATRIOT Act powers, without any response.  We have learned from whistleblowers the startling fact that the FBI issues more than 30,000 National Security Letters a year.  We need to know more about this.

“This report failed to make much-needed reforms and an opportunity for bipartisan work has been ignored. I regret the need to oppose this report when it is brought to the floor.”