Washington D.C., December 19, 2013—Recommendations made by the White House’s Review Board on Intelligence and Communications Technologies within the National Security Agency (NSA) “fall short” according to Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ).

“The recommendations of the President’s review board to reform NSA is a positive step forward but fall short of protecting Americans’ constitutional rights of privacy and ending the government’s massive surveillance program” said Schweikert.  Just a few days ago the U.S. District Court ruled the collection of metadata from our citizens is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment.

“The review board’s recommendations continue to chip away at the Fourth Amendment and our constitutional rights to privacy by suggesting metadata collection continue under a third party’s oversight,” said Schweikert, original cosponsor of the USA Freedom Act. I believe there is a strong need for legislative action to combat this breach of trust and the USA Freedom Act is a strong option towards transparency and reform.”

The USA Freedom Act includes provisions that end the bulk metadata collection, reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and increase transparency. Rep. Schweikert was the first member of the Arizona Delegation to be an original co-sponsor of this effort to curb inappropriate intelligence gathering of private American citizens’ communications and to protect and defend their civil liberties.

The full text of the USA Freedom Act can be read here.

The full NSA Review Board Recommendations can be read here.

###

Contact Maggie Zehring: margaret.zehring@mail.house.gov
(202) 680- 9613