NSA reformer: ‘I can’t get to 60 right now’

The top Republican pushing National Security Agency (NSA) reform in the Senate says he doesn’t have 60 votes in support of his legislation right now, but he hopes it could get there soon.

“I can’t tell you that we have 60 votes right now,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers.” “In fact, I can’t count to 60 right now.”

{mosads}“But I do think if we brought it to the floor, if we had an open amendment process, we could quickly get to the point where we could have 60 votes on something.”

“I think some variation of it could pass by 60 votes.”

Lee’s USA Freedom Act would end the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records by making the spy agency ask private companies to hand over a narrow set of records using a “specific selection term.” 

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has opposed the bill and said he wants to renew the NSA program without change. However, he has taken the first steps to bringing the USA Freedom Act up for a vote in the Senate next week, following an overwhelming 338-88 vote of support from the House on Wednesday.

If McConnell does allow the bill to come up for a vote, it’s unclear whether it would have the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster and pass. While the bill is backed by most Democrats and a few Republicans, most Senate GOP lawmakers seem likely to oppose it.  

Lee, however, seemed optimistic that some changes — such as giving the NSA more time to switch to the new system, for instance — might win enough Republicans to support the measure.

“There are five or six who are where I am,” he said on C-SPAN. “There are a handful of others who seem to be leaning that way but have yet to sign on to the bill as co-sponsors, but will probably be voting on it at the end of the day.”