14 DAY TRIAL // The White House blasts the Amash Amendment that, if voted, could greatly limit the NSA’s ability to collect data.
“We urge the House to reject the Amash Amendment, and instead move forward with an approach that appropriately takes into account the need for a reasoned review of what tools can best secure the nation,” said Press Secretary Jay Carney.
The Amash Amendment mentioned by the White House was introduced by Rep. Justin Amash, and involves preventing the NSA from using Section 215 of the Patriot Act to collect records, including phone calls, pertaining to individuals who are not subject to an investigation.
This is the part of the Patriot Act that has allowed the NSA to develop the surveillance programs denounced by the entire world, basically giving them the green light to collect data from people that do not have a warrant on their name.
The White House seems to be worried that this amendment could pass, particularly since many politicians have showed their concern with the public backlash that has followed the NSA leaks.
The vote could take place as early as Wednesday evening, but Thursday is also an option.
Late on Tuesday, the NSA called for a secret meeting and invited numerous Congress members to discuss the very same amendment that is being blasted by the White House, in an effort to urge the politicians to vote against it.
It is clear that the United States authorities are doing their best to carry on with the surveillance, despite the international backlash and general outcry over the issue. Late last week the order allowing the NSA to collect data from telecom companies was supposed to expire, but the FISA court renewed it.
According to the White House press secretary, the President welcomes debate about how best to simultaneously safeguard national security and the privacy of the citizens, but it opposes the current effort to dismantle “one of our Intelligence Community’s counterterrorism tools.”