Goodlatte: Senate Must Pass the USA Freedom Act

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) released the statement below following the remarks made yesterday by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that bulk collection of data by the government is undercutting the American economy.

Chairman Goodlatte: “I agree with Senator Wyden and the tech community that last year’s national security leaks have had a commercial and financial impact on American technology companies. As I stated when the House overwhelmingly passed the USA Freedom Act in May, American tech companies have experienced a backlash from both American and foreign consumers and they’ve lost a piece of their competitive edge in the global marketplace. The House acted earlier this year to end the bulk collection of data by the government and provide American tech companies new ways to report data concerning government requests for customer information. When the Senate returns in November, it must pass the USA Freedom Act in order to protect Americans’ civil liberties and to ensure that American tech companies can begin to rebuild trust with their customers and flourish in the global economy.”

In May 2014, the House Judiciary Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over intelligence-gathering programs operated under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), approved the USA Freedom Act. This bipartisan bill, authored by senior members of the Committee, ends bulk collection of data by the government and reforms our nation’s intelligence-gathering programs operated under FISA. Among the bill’s provisions, it allows tech companies to inform their American and foreign customers by publicly reporting national security requests from the government. Following Committee approval, the House of Representatives passed the USA Freedom Act by a vote of 302-121.