Congressman Pat Harrigan of North Carolina’s 10th District announced on Apr. 29 that he voted against S.1318, the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act.
The vote is significant because it addresses concerns about the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has been used by federal agencies to collect foreign intelligence information. The law has drawn scrutiny over its potential impact on Americans’ privacy rights.
“FISA Section 702 is a critical national security tool, and I do not take this vote lightly. But Congress cannot keep rubber stamping a surveillance program that has been used to spy on American citizens. The FBI has abused this authority before in previous administrations, and reauthorizing it without a single reform to protect the Fourth Amendment rights of the people I represent would be a disservice to every constituent in North Carolina’s Tenth District,” Harrigan said in his statement.
Harrigan’s opposition follows his recent election victory in which he defeated Ralph R. Scott, Jr., receiving 57.5 percent of the vote compared to Scott’s 38.2 percent according to election results.
The debate over FISA Section 702 continues as lawmakers weigh national security needs against constitutional protections for citizens’ privacy.
