ACLU Letter to Senate Members Urging Opposition to H.R. 6304, the FISA Amendments Act

The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urges you to vote “NO” onH.R. 6304, the FISA Amendment Acts of 2008. This bill unconstitutionallyand unnecessarily permits the government to vacuum up Americans’international communications, without a connection to al Qaeda, terrorism,or even to national security. While there is limited prior review by theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the protection afforded by thatreview is almost completely illusory. H.R. 6304 also grants retroactiveimmunity to companies that facilitated warrantless wiretapping over the lastseven years. For these reasons, we ask you to stand with the Constitutionand vote no on this overreaching legislation. Because this bill essentiallyeviscerates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and many of the FourthAmendment protections it contained, we will be scoring this vote.