The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
February 14, 2008

Fact Sheet: Congress Must Act Now To Ensure That We Have The Tools To Keep America Safe

     Fact sheet President Bush Discusses Protect America Act
     Fact sheet In Focus: Defense

With Only Two Days Remaining Until Core Intelligence Collection Authorities Under The Protect America Act Expire, Congress Must Act Now To Ensure Our Intelligence Officials Have The Tools They Need And To Provide Liability Protection To Those Who Assisted In Defending America After 9/11

"Our government has no greater responsibility than getting this work done, and there really is no excuse for letting this critical legislation expire.  I urge congressional leaders to let the will of the House and the American people prevail, and vote on the Senate bill before adjourning for their recess.  Failure to act would harm our ability to monitor new terrorist activities, and could reopen dangerous gaps in our intelligence.  Failure to act would also make the private sector less willing to help us protect the country, and this is unacceptable.  The House should not leave Washington without passing the Senate bill.  I am scheduled to leave tomorrow for a long-planned trip to five African nations.  Moments ago, my staff informed the House leadership that I'm prepared to delay my departure, and stay in Washington with them, if it will help them complete their work on this critical bill. … Our intelligence professionals are working day and night to keep us safe, and they're waiting to see whether Congress will give them the tools they need to succeed or tie their hands by failing to act."

– President George W. Bush, 2/14/08

For the sake of our national security, the House must act and pass the bipartisan Senate FISA modernization bill.  The Protect America Act (PAA) has enabled us temporarily to close critical gaps in our intelligence collection, but this vital legislation is set to expire this weekend.  The Senate has approved new legislation by a wide, bipartisan majority that will ensure our intelligence professionals have the tools they need to make us safer and that improves on the PAA by providing fair and just liability protection for companies that did the right thing and assisted in defending America after the 9/11 attacks.  The House must pass this bipartisan bill now.

If The House Fails To Pass The Bipartisan Senate Bill Immediately, The Protect America Act Will Expire This Saturday And Leave Our Nation At Greater Risk Of A Terrorist Attack

The President Has Said He Will Not Accept Another Temporary Extension Of The PAA, And He Is Prepared To Delay His Planned Trip To Africa If That Will Help The House Get Its Work Done

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