Cornyn: Patriot Act makes nation safer

The No. 2 Senate Republican is calling on lawmakers not to reform or kill off parts of the Patriot Act set to expire at the end of the month.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) wrote an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday urging lawmakers to renew the existing law.

{mosads}“I believe our national security will be put at greater risk if the provisions are allowed to expire,” Cornyn wrote.

“Many intelligence experts have said the Patriot Act makes the United States safer today than we were pre-9/11,” he added. “By maintaining strong oversight of these and other government programs, we can have a win-win situation that protects both American lives and American liberties.”

At the end of the month, three sections of the Patriot Act are set to expire. Among them is the controversial Section 215, which the National Security Agency has relied on to collect millions of Americans’ phone records without a warrant.

That program — which collects “metadata” about which numbers people call and when but not the actual conversations — uses “vigorous oversight system and strict safeguards,” the Texas Republican wrote.

“I believe our national security will be put at greater risk if the provisions are allowed to expire.”

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that the Senate this week will vote on legislation to end the NSA’s phone records program while also renewing the Patriot Act provisions. The legislation overwhelmingly passed the House 338-88 last week, but it might not have the votes to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate.

McConnell and Cornyn seem to expect that could open the door to a short-term reauthorization of the current law.

“The intelligence community has a vital role to play in safeguarding our nation,” Cornyn wrote on Wednesday. “I believe the Patriot Act provides our intelligence community and law enforcement with the tools they need to operate effectively to protect all Americans, while using appropriate checks and balances to ensure our rights remain intact.”