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December 16, 2020 Press Release
Washington, DC—Yesterday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-04) introduced H.R.8970, the Protect Our Civil Liberties Act. This bipartisan bill would repeal the USA PATRIOT Act and amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to remove dangerous provisions that undermine Americans' civil liberties.

“The Constitution of the United States guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms for every American — including the right to privacy and protection against illegal search and seizure without probable cause. Unfortunately, the so-called Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act allowed the intelligence community to conduct mass surveillance on Americans, collecting information about our phone calls and our emails,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “Our legislation will repeal these laws and require Congress to strike the right balance between serving our national security interests and protecting our civil liberties and Fourth Amendment rights.”

“The Patriot Act contains many provisions that violate the Fourth Amendment and have led to a dramatic expansion of our domestic surveillance state,” said Rep. Thomas Massie. "Our Founding Fathers fought and died to stop the kind of warrantless spying and searches that the Patriot Act and the FISA Amendments Act authorize. It is long past time to repeal the Patriot Act and reassert the constitutional rights of all Americans. I am honored to co-sponsor Congresswoman Gabbard’s bill and look forward to working with her on this issue.”

Opponents of the law have criticized its provision for... permission to law enforcement to search a home or business without the owner's or the occupant's consent or knowledge... the expanded use of National Security Letters, which allows the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to search telephone, e-mail, and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. Since its passage, several court challenges have been brought against the act, and federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional.