The Foundry

Discussing the need for the House of Representatives to pass the portions of the Protect America Act that expired on February 16, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) told an audience at The Heritage Foundation: “If there is not a threat, then why do you need the tools we’ve developed since 2001. … This is not the President’s program. This is the U.S. government’s program that was put in place to help keep us safe.”

You can read Hoekstra’s prepared remarks here.

Matching words with action conservative in the House announced today they will offer a proposal to force an immediate vote on the Senate’s bipartisan FISA modernization bill. The return of certainty to our nation’s intelligence community’s relationship with the private sector could not come quick enough for Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell WTOP yesterday:

The fact is, if we lose cooperation from these or other private companies, our national security will suffer. Given the uncertainty, given the fact we can no longer compel, given the fact that public-sector companies are being sued and they’re disincentivized – and as a matter of fact, the boards are fiscally responsible for these companies – our capability is atrophying today as a result of the expiration of the Protect America Act, and it will increase in its atrophy – the effect of the atrophy will increase as we go forward.

Several other videos of Hoekstra are available on YouTube.