FISA petition

Waaay back on Feb. 13, 2008 FISA expired.  Since then the House Democratic leadership has continued to stall.  A secret session and a reality check from AG Mukasey couldn’t persuade a vote on the Senate-passed bill.  Well after two-months plus of inaction, House Republicans are forcing the issue.

GOP leaders hope that enough Democrats will support the effort to get the vote.
 
“We have no choice but to take this step to force House leaders to bring this bipartisan anti-terror bill to the floor for a vote,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.), one of the leaders of the effort.

To force a vote on the Senate bill, which passed with bipartisan support earlier this year, 218 lawmakers need to sign on to the discharge petition.

“There is no excuse for the Democratic majority’s refusal to bring this bill to the floor,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), adding, “Foreign surveillance is the most important tool our intelligence and law enforcement officials have to protect Americans from future terrorist attacks. House Democrats have spent nearly a year putting liberal interest groups above the needs of our intelligence officials.”

Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) recently had this to say about the issue.

“More than 66 days have passed since House Democrats allowed a key piece of terrorist surveillance legislation to expire–not because they had concerns with the bill, but because they were seemingly more concerned that not enough trial lawyers would be able to file enough expensive and frivolous lawsuits against U.S. telecom firms,” Republican whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said in a statement.

House Democratic leadership though continues to have their heads in the sand on this important issue.

A spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) dismissed the Republicans’ petition as a “purely political move” and urged members not to sign it.

“Discussions on FISA are ongoing, and we hope to reach a compromise before Memorial Day.”

But what happen to having a compromise before the March recess?  As Sean pointed out back then,

Why wait? There’s a bill waiting for a vote that would pass and be signed by the President. The longer House leaders wait the more difficult it will be for the military and intelligence agencies to monitor terrorists’ communications, making the U.S. less safe.

Republicans have decided the wait has been long enough and are attempting to force the issue.
As of May 1, the petition had 190 signatures.  I noticed all 3 Wisconsin Republicans have signed it and of course none of the Wisconsin Democrats have.  Contact your representative and urge them to sign this petition that will bring this important bi-partisan supported legislation to a vote.  If they have thank them.  The House of Representatives phone number is (202) 224-3121.