One Year of Sunset: the Patriot Act, Domestic Surveillance, and Congress
Channel: Demand Progress
Date: 2021-03-24

This is a briefing about the ongoing sunset of three Patriot Act authorities, roiling questions about domestic intelligence surveillance, and Congress's role in all of the above.

Panelists:

Mark Udall, Former Colorado Senator and member of SSCI
Bob Goodlatte, Former Virginia Representative and Chairman of HJC
Billy Easley, Senior Policy Analyst for Technology and Innovation at Americans for Prosperity
Liza Goitein, Co-Director of the Liberty & National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice
Kate Ruane (moderator), Senior Legislative Counsel at Americans Civil Liberties Union

A brief overview from the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Prosperity, Brennan Center for Justice, Demand Progress, Free Press Action, FreedomWorks, and the Project for Privacy & Surveillance Accountability is available here: www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Surveillance%20Briefer%202.16.21.pdf.

March 15, 2021, marked one year since three Patriot Act authorities expired — including Section 215, the authority that the NSA notoriously abused to collect Americans’ phone records in bulk. This panel will discuss what happened during that debate, the significance of Congress's voice on these issues, and what domestic surveillance issues are poised for the floor in the near future.