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Tag: NSA

Daines Discusses National Security with New Regional FBI Leader

January 8, 2016

HELENA, Mont. — Senator Steve Daines today met with Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Eric Barnhart, the new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent for Salt Lake City Division, which includes Montana. Daines and Barnhart met in Helena at Daines’ urging to discuss national security issues facing Montana. Daines sought more information regarding FBI Director James Comey’s statement that law enforcement authorities have open investigations of suspected ISIS supporters in all 50 states. Director Comey also estimated that law enforcement authorities have around 900 active homegrown extremist cases, the overwhelming majority of which are related to ISIS.    Click here to download a high resolution

Daines: CISA Fails to Protect Americans’ Personal Privacy

October 27, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today expressed his disappointment after the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) passed the United States Senate and reaffirmed his concerns that the legislation failed to sufficiently protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties: “I have serious concerns that this legislation fails to fully protect Montanans’ right to privacy from government overreach. As someone who spent nearly 13 years in the technology sector, I know firsthand the cybersecurity risks facing Montanans and agree that we must adopt real reforms that better protect Americans from these threats. But these reforms must not come at the expense of Montanans’

Daines Hails Long Overdue Passage of USA Freedom Act

June 2, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today hailed the long overdue passage of the bipartisan USA Freedom Act: “I look forward to seeing this bipartisan legislation quickly signed into law by the President. The USA Freedom Act takes the long overdue step to end the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records and secures important reforms to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. Today’s vote is a win for our civil liberties and our constitutional rights. ” Daines has long worked to protect Americans’ civil liberties and Fourth Amendment rights. Daines is an original cosponsor of the USA Freedom Act of

Daines Statement on the USA Freedom Act

May 31, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement after the Senate voted to advance the bipartisan USA Freedom Act. “I’m pleased to see the Senate take a critical step towards ending the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records by advancing the USA Freedom Act. The USA Freedom Act strikes the right balance between protecting the homeland from terror attacks while protecting the constitutional rights and liberty of the American people. I urge the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act swiftly.” With today’s vote the Senate cleared a critical procedural hurdle that sets up a vote on

ABC FOX: Sen. Daines Calls on NSA to Stop Obtaining Phone Records

May 21, 2015

Montana’s newest senator is calling out the National Security Administration for collecting phone records.  Along with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Senator Steve Daines is calling on the NSA to end its ‘bulk meta-data collection program’. Under this program, millions of Americans’ phone records are obtained and stored by the NSA for intelligence purposes. It’s part of the Patriot Act, which congress is currently debating whether to reauthorize.  Senator Daines says he has had his doubts with the program and questions its effectiveness. “This program is a direct threat to our constitutional rights. It has jeopardized our civil liberties with little

Daines ‘Stands with Rand’ in Opposition to NSA Bulk Collection of Montanans’ Phone Records

May 20, 2015

Senator Steve Daines today stood alongside Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and called for the end of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk meta-data collection program. Below are key excerpts from Daines’ floor speech: “I know firsthand the power that big data holds – I also know the great risks that arise when this power is abused. There is a clear and direct threat to Americans’ civil liberties that comes with the mass collection of our personal information and phone records. “This program is a direct threat to our Constitutional rights. It has jeopardized our civil liberties with little proven effectiveness.

Daines: Court Ruling Bulk Phone Collection Illegal is Welcome News

May 7, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today welcomed a federal court ruling that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk telephone metadata collection program is illegal and reaffirmed his commitment to ending the federal government’s mass collection of Montanans’ personal information. The New York-based 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously ruled today that the NSA does not have the legal authority to widely collect Americans’ bulk telephony metadata. “Montanans have long known that the federal government’s mass collection of our personal data is an unacceptable overreach of power and today’s court ruling confirms it,” Daines stated. “It’s long past time

Daines Introduces Historic Reform Bill to Protect Montanans’ Privacy

April 28, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today helped introduce widely supported bipartisan legislation that ends the bulk collection of Americans’ phone records. Daines is an original cosponsor of the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015, which ends bulk collection under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and requires greater oversight, transparency, and accountability in surveillance activities. Three provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), including Section 215, are due to sunset on June 1. “Montanans have seen firsthand the dangers of big government’s intrusion into our daily lives, our personal information and our privacy,” Daines stated.  “It’s critical that comprehensive reforms are put