We voted for billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine and strongly believe we must continue to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves against Russian aggression. But supplying Kyiv with cluster munitions would come at an unsupportable moral and political price. Knowing that these weapons cause indiscriminate terror and mayhem, both of us — like many others in the international community — have worked for years to end their use.
Archiv: Patrick Leahy
Power struggle sparks tensions among Senate Democrats
Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), who was recently reelected as Democratic whip for the next Congress, immediately threw his hat into the ring to succeed her. Durbin is third in seniority among Democrats on the committee behind Feinstein and Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), who previously chaired the committee and is the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.
But the move drew grumblings because Durbin already holds the No. 2 position in the caucus and Democrats’ top spot on the Appropriations subcommittee for defense spending, an influential post that gives him sway over the Pentagon’s $700 billion budget.
Senators demand answers on expired surveillance programs
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Ut.) on Thursday pressed the Trump administration on whether and how mass surveillance programs authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act have been halted since the act‘s expiration.
The letter to Attorney General William Barr and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe raises concerns that the administration may be be continuing to conduct surveillance operations by relying on Executive Order 12333.
Senate revives surveillance brawl
The Senate is set to revive a fight over a shadowy surveillance court, bringing to a head a months-long stalemate that resulted in the lapse of three intelligence programs.
The looming debate, which will pit some of President Trump’s biggest allies against one another, comes on the heels of growing questions about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court after the Justice Department inspector general found widespread errors as part of an interim report on warrant applications.
McConnell urges Senate to reject changes to House-passed surveillance bill
(07.05.2020)
Under a deal struck by Senate leadership, senators will vote on three amendments: One from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) preventing FISA warrants from being used against Americans, one from Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on appointing outside advisers, and one from Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to prevent law enforcement from obtaining internet browsing and search history without a warrant.