With US Senate in knots, spy provisions expire

The Senate actually took the step of advancing painstakingly crafted bipartisan reform legislation on Sunday that would end the controversial National Security Agency program which scoops up telephone data on millions of Americans with no connection to terrorism.

But lawmakers failed to seal the deal on the USA Freedom Act, which would also preserve important national security provisions, or pass a short-term extension of those provisions first codified in the USA Patriot Act in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks of 2001.

“The Patriot Act will expire tonight,” said Senator Rand Paul after hours of ultimately fruitless debate on how to get the reform bill across the finish line.

Paul, a 2016 presidential candidate, singlehandedly blocked expedited votes on the measure, as well as any potential extensions of Patriot Act authorisations.

The reform bill appeared likely to pass later this week, however, according to senators and aides, marking a historic end to the telephone data dragnet first exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013.

But the delay means the bulk data program and two other provisions, allowing roving wiretaps on terror suspects and lone-wolf tracking, will lapse at the end of yesterday.

“There is no way to get any type of agreement tonight - either an extension or passage of a bill,” Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr told AFP.