Hidden in a recent “emergency” spending bill was a reauthorization of this unconstitutional act.
And it wasn’t just Democrats who passed this bill, Republicans in the Senate joined willingly too.
But it was Democrats who used Donald Trump’s impeachment to hide the unconstitutional bill from the public.
As members of Congress readied to go home and convince their constituents they were doing the job they were elected to do, they decided to stick it to the American people yet again.
Democrats in the House slipped a renewal of the unconstitutional PATRIOT Act into an “emergency” funding bill, voting near-unanimously for the sweeping surveillance program that was the basis for the notorious NSA program that spied on American citizens.
The short-term spending bill was supposedly needed to avoid a government shutdown, yet was loaded up with unnecessary and unconstitutional spending for things like the PATRIOT Act.
In a move most astute political observers found highly ironic, Democrats ultimately granted far-reaching surveillance powers to the very same president they’re actively trying to impeach.
That’s right, while Democrats rail against President Trump in public, they’re quietly passing legislation granting him even more power.
Even “progressive” socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY 14) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN 5), who had originally spoken out against it, voted for the bill as no Democrat dared to cross party lines.
And as Congressman Thomas Massie pointed out, not only did Democrats unanimously vote for the bill, they also voted for the waiver of a rule that would’ve at least allowed members of Congress to read it.
But don’t think this was a pure Democrat move. The bill was shortly passed by the U.S. Senate with almost no opposition, thanks to Mitch McConnell (R-KY) working hand-in-fist with Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Some true Republicans like Rand Paul had hoped to pass a “clean” funding bill without add-ons of any kind, but both parties worked together to beat back the effort.
There is a clear addiction to both spending and untapped government power by both parties and it will take a real change in Congress to stop continuing resolutions and other spending bills from being loaded up with unconstitutional mandates like the PATRIOT Act.
Though no one thought the PATRIOT Act was meant to be permanent, Democrats and Republicans have joined together every year to reauthorize it despite protests from conservatives, civil rights activists, and libertarians.
Unfortunately, too many politicians who claim to be against surveillance programs say one thing and vote another.