ACP45 Loc: Rhode Island

The CLOUD Act, giving U.S. and foreign police new mechanisms to seize data across the globe without a warrant and with few restrictions on using and sharing your information, was never reviewed or marked up by any committee in either the House or the Senate. It never received a hearing. It was never subject to a stand-alone floor v**e. Instead, congressional leadership attached this un-vetted, unrelated data bill to the $1.3 trillion government spending bill. Congress has a professional responsibility to listen to the American people’s concerns, to represent their constituents, and to debate the merits and concerns of this proposal. It failed.

PeterS

I thought you conservatives loved the police? Don't worry, they will only use their powers to catch the bad guys. Back the Blue! Stop being a c****e putz!

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

This is how Congress does most of it's business. The stuff we hear about, the stuff that creates all the drama on the floor, are only the high profile items needed to garner political support. Congress had no intention of replacing Obamacare - ever - so all that crap we got to see on CSPAN and the MSM, was scripted doodoo, so that the politicians could tell their constituents "we tried".

Congress rarely ( if ever ) passes clean bills, i.e. bills that only contain legislation related to the title of the bill. Pork barrel spending is always attached to some unrelated bill as a rider. Whenever a "must pass" bill is introduced, the volume of the bill triples, as every member sticks in his or her pet legislation. It's been this way for decades.

At one time, Presidents had line item veto powers that allowed them to weed out these extraneous laws, but when Bill Clinton began using it aggressively.................the Congress revoked that authority, causing Presidents to veto the whole bill - or sign it. That's why these "must pass" bills are so popular, and why Congress ALWAYS waits until the last second to get them to the Presidents desk, knowing that the President would have to sign............thus holding military personnel, the elderly, and the very young hostage against the Presidents compliance.

It is a shameful display of hubris, a crime committed by both party's with complete abandon.

ACP45 Loc: Rhode Island

Excellent point, but this is above Peters head. I guess he is fine with how Congress does it's business.

Peewee Loc: San Antonio, TX

Correction, the bill was crafted by only four people, two Dems, and two Reps, all the rest of our elected reps were shut out. With no time to read much less debate the bill before the required v**e. Not the way it's suppose to work. Those four should not be re-elected under any circumstances.