Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell voted in favor of the USA FREEDOM Act which modifies domestic surveillance procedures by ending bulk collection and storage of business records, including telephone, internet and email metadata by the NSA under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Under this measure, the government will be required to obtain approval from the FISA Courtbefore conducting a search of specific call records from phone companies.   

“Today, I was proud to support the bipartisan USA FREEDOM Act which puts an end to the bulk collection of email, telephone, internet and other metadata by the NSA. This legislation is an important step toward restoring the confidence of the American people while preserving our nation’s ability to protect our National Security,” said Rep. Sewell. “This bill puts safeguards in place to protect how certain data is obtained by the NSA while continuing to preserve the resources our intelligence community needs to adequately protect our national security. Safeguarding the privacy of all Americans, while ensuring that our intelligence community can continue to protect against terrorist threats, is of the upmost importance. As a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I remain committed to ensuring that our policies reflect the delicate balance between security and privacy.”  

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