House GOP leader pressures Senate to pass NSA reform bill

The No. 2 Republican in the House on Monday urged the Senate to quickly pass an extension of the Patriot Act and refused to say whether his chamber would consider amendments to the bill.

“I hear a lot about things they want to do over in the Senate. I think the best thing for the Senate to do is to take up the House bill and send it to the president,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters at a news briefing.

{mosads}The Patriot Act expired at midnight Sunday, hours after the Senate voted to advance House-approved legislation reforming the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.

The Senate is now expected to consider several amendments to the bill.

Asked again if he would “rule out” considering those amendments, McCarthy replied: “I don’t know what the Senate could do. I just think knowing that we have just passed a deadline, the best option for the protection of this country is to pass our bill.”

The House passed the NSA reform bill on an overwhelming, bipartisan 338-88 vote. It would end the agency’s current bulk data collection program, putting phone companies in charge of storing records rather than the government.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a 2016 presidential candidate, blocked the Senate from moving to a final vote.

Paul “has a right to express himself,” McCarthy said. But the GOP leader added: “I have a real concern about the safety of the country right now. Yes.”