Dear Mr. Dailey,
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about government surveillance programs and reform proposals, including S. 1631, the FISA Improvements Act and S. 1599, the USA FREEDOM Act. Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts.
As you know, in June 2013, it was reported that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been collecting metadata on domestic phone calls. Over the next several months, other classified surveillance programs were disclosed. These programs, which operate under federal law and executive, legislative, and judicial oversight, are designed to focus on protecting our nation from foreign threats, including terrorism, not on domestic surveillance.
On August 21, 2013, as highly classified information continued to appear on the front pages of newspapers, I sent a letter to the President requesting a briefing by the Director of the NSA, General Keith Alexander. I specifically requested that this briefing cover the full scope of activities conducted by the NSA, including but not limited to those conducted pursuant to the authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as modified by the USA PATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act, and Executive Order 12,333. As a result, I spent a day at NSA headquarters receiving a briefing on these NSA programs, insight into how they help protect our nation, and the particular legal and oversight regime that they operate under. While these programs have demonstrated value in protecting our national security, including disrupting potential terrorist plotting at home and overseas, I understand and share your concerns about the threat to the civil liberties of Americans that programs like these might pose, and I believe that Congress must continue to play a key oversight role to ensure that the Administration is not going beyond its authorities.
Please know, I understand the important balance that must be struck between protecting our nation from future attacks and preserving our civil liberties, and am aware of legislative proposals to revise or repeal surveillance authorities. The insight that your letter has provided will certainly help my staff and me as we work to find that proper balance, and I will keep your concerns in mind should such come before the full Senate.
Thank you again for your letter. I hope that you will continue to share your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Bob Corker United States Senator