Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of reauthorizing FISA 702. It is interesting, Mr. Speaker, to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about unconscionable delaying tactics or talking about the need for regular order. I would…
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of reauthorizing FISA 702.
It is interesting, Mr. Speaker, to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about unconscionable delaying tactics or talking about the need for regular order. I would point out, Mr. Speaker, that just today on this floor, we have watched, once again, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle playing games. We have had this particular debate now delayed by the games that their Members have been playing over the course of the last several hours with motion after motion to adjourn. That is, Mr. Speaker, what I believe is unconscionable.
This is a bill that is a bipartisan bill. The ranking member of the Intelligence Committee as well as the chairman of the Intelligence Committee worked very hard to come to agreement on this bill.
I would argue, if anything, Mr. Speaker, the bill goes too far in terms of beginning the process that we cannot begin of putting walls up.
All of us lived through 9/11, and we know, Mr. Speaker, that one of the things that we saw that day was what can happen when we make it much more difficult for our law enforcement and our intelligence agencies to connect the dots, much more difficult for them to stop terrorist attacks against this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, this is a bill that goes directly towards those issues. This is one of the most important pieces of policy and of authority that the National Security Agency has. I think it is very important for people who are listening to this debate to recognize that this authority is an authority that allows surveillance of foreign nationals on foreign territory, not in the United States.
I would urge my colleagues, particularly when we have got a bill that is a bipartisan product, that is a product that has been worked on and agreed to in a bipartisan manner, that it is unconscionable for them to delay, unconscionable for them to hold the Nation's security hostage.
We are seeing it, Mr. Speaker, not just with respect to this particular piece of legislation, but we are seeing it, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the entire negotiations underway today over the budget for the Nation.
We have seen a situation where, as they did today, they are trying to accuse us of holding DACA hostage, of holding DACA individuals hostage. That is not what is happening, Mr. Speaker.
The Democrats in this House, Mr. Speaker, are, in fact, holding our national security hostage, and they are doing it with respect to the funds that our military needs as well.
We are a nation today that is facing grave and growing threats. We are a nation that is putting tremendous demands on our intelligence service, on our intelligence professionals, and on our men and women in uniform. I think that every Member of this body who decides to play games, rather than do what is right and what is necessary and what our constitutional obligation and our oath requires, ought to think as they are doing that: What does it mean to the mothers and fathers across this Nation who have children who are deployed for the defense of the Nation, the mothers and fathers across this Nation who know that we are sending their children into harm's way?
The Democrats in this body, Mr. Speaker, consistently continue to hold up the funding that our military needs and, in this case in particular, to hold up the reauthorization of this crucial piece of policy.
So, Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the reauthorization of this bill.