Leahy embraces Onion riff on NSA bill

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is embracing a caricature of himself highlighted in the satirical newspaper The Onion.

{mosads}The article Thursday jokingly reported that Leahy has been lying in the same spot on the Senate floor for weeks, mourning the death of a National Security Agency reform bill in the last Congress.

“Legislators added that the senator still perks up his head whenever he hears a gavel banging in the hope that his beloved bill is being reintroduced on the floor,” the article reads.

Leahy has been tweeting out links to the story, hinting about the reintroduction of the USA Freedom Act and endorsing another push for reforms to end the government’s collection and storage of Americans phone records.

I hear footsteps…is Bill coming back?… “@JackNECN: Senator Leahy in satire “@TheOnion http://t.co/Zlohschccc pic.twitter.com/CpAtARdUIk””

— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) March 5, 2015

RTditto! @KevinBankston: Onion on Leahy’s devotion 2 USAFREEDOM. Sure last yr’s vote was hard but we’ll be back baby! http://t.co/CGusL7N3Rg

— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) March 6, 2015

Leahy’s legislation fell narrowly short of passage in the Senate late last year, after getting hung up in a procedural vote that nearly every Republican opposed. Even with GOP control of both chambers, advocates are hopeful that the impending fight to reauthorize parts of the Patriot Act will give them leverage to enact reforms.

There are less than 100 days until the provisions expire in June. Leahy’s office did not respond when asked if the senator plans to reintroduce his reform bill in the near future.