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Explore our coverage of government and politics.

Rep. Welch Wants To Restrict Surveillance By NSA

Under Congressman Peter Welch’s bill, the National Security Agency would have to prove to a federal intelligence judge that there’s probable cause to believe that a specific individual poses a threat to national security.

Welch says that’s a major difference from the NSA’s current policies that allow the Agency to monitor emails and phone calls of millions of people looking for possible links to terrorist activities:

“The reason I believe it was necessary is that the NSA, we gave them an inch and they took a mile,” said Welch. “I mean essentially without any public discussion, without any awareness by Congress they said up a data bank that basically had everybody’s emails and logs of all their telephone conversations.

Welch says some members of his bipartisan coalition support the use of these surveillance activities but they’re angry that Congress hasn’t been part of the process.

Let us not keep the American people in the dark - Rep. Peter Welch

“There has been virtually no Congressional debate and there’s been a total lack of transparency, that was one of the reasons I think many people voted for that bill,” said Welch. “It was a statement that says ‘yes we need security you know what ? Let’s not keep the American people in the dark.”

The legislation was rejected by just 12 votes. Welch says he’s pleased by the outcome because he says both Republican and Democratic leaders urged their members to vote against the bill.

“Here’s the good news. With that, the message has been sent loud and clear that Congress and by the way the American people have to be brought into this discussion and debate,” said Welch.  “So I think the upside of this vote even though we lost, is that the Administration gets it, that we have to have a serious discussion involving Congress and more importantly the American people.”

Welch and the members of his coalition are hoping that Congress will revisit this issue in the coming months.

Bob Kinzel has been covering the Vermont Statehouse since 1981 — longer than any continuously serving member of the Legislature. With his wealth of institutional knowledge, he answers your questions on our series, "Ask Bob."
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