Rand Paul Campaign Press Release - Sen. Paul Stages 11-hour Patriot Act Protest, NSA Programs Poised to Lapse

Fox News

May 21, 2015

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., helped bring the National Security Agency's domestic spying programs to the brink of lapsing Wednesday after holding the Senate floor for nearly 11 hours to protest the proposed renewal of the Patriot Act.

Paul, who is also a candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, called the law, which expires June 1, an unconstitutional intrusion on Americans' privacy. His speech underscored deep divisions over the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records, which was revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden in June 2013.

The Obama administration warned Wednesday that the NSA's bulk collection of phone records would have to start winding down by the end of the week if Congress does not act, and several programs under the Patriot Act would lapse at the end of the month, when the act itself expires. With Paul's speech eating up hours of floor time and congressional lawmakers still at odds over the way forward, at least a partial lapse is now highly likely.Click here to continue reading the full article: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/21/sen-rand-paul-speaks-on-senate-floor-for-nearly-11-hours-in-patriot-act-protest/