Media

"Today, as on every March 17, we gather to recognize the patron saint of Ireland: Saint Patrick."

"For more than two years now, Congress, the news media, current and former national security officials, think tanks and academic institutions have been engaged in a profound debate over how to modernize the law governing electronic spying to keep pace with technology. We keep hoping President Bush will join in."

The Education and Labor Committee held a hearing this morning on plans that should be put in place to ensure students continue to have uninterrupted access to federal student loans in the unlikely event that stress in the nation's credit markets leads a significant number of lenders to substantially reduce their activity in the federally guaranteed student loan programs. In recent weeks, credit market turmoil has caused difficulties for some lenders in securing the capital needed to finance their lending activity. Thus far, these difficulties have not affected students' ability to secure federal loans to finance their college education, but in February Chairman George Miller called on Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to have such contingency plans in place.

The House has just passed the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3773, to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence, and for other purposes, by a vote of 213-197-1. The revised House legislation to amend FISA grants new authorities for conducting electronic surveillance against foreign targets while preserving the requirement that the government obtain an individualized FISA court order, based on probable cause, when targeting Americans at home or abroad. The House bill also strongly enhances oversight of the Administration's surveillance activities.

"Although some have been willing to send our men and women in uniform into harm's way without the equipment they need to keep them safe, we don't make any accusations against them that they are not patriotic Americans. We want to protect the American people."

"Although some have been willing to send our men and women in uniform into harm's way without the equipment they need to keep them safe, we don't make any accusations against them that they are not patriotic Americans. We want to protect the American people."