On Thursday, the House passed the $886 billion 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which funds the Pentagon and some military spending for other government agencies. The NDAA has already been passed by the Senate and now heads to President Biden’s desk.
The NDAA includes a provision to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. US government agencies portray the law as designed to target foreigners outside of the US, but it allows the collection of any communications they have with Americans, including emails and text messages.
Section 702 was due to expire at the end of this year, but the NDAA extends it to April 19, 2024. According to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the House only needed 143 votes to strip the extension out of the NDAA, but only 118 House members voted “nay,” including 73 Republicans and 45 Democrats.
“Here are the 118 Representatives who voted to protect your right to privacy. (Nay to FISA warrantless surveillance as part of NDAA),” Massie wrote on X with a picture of the roll call. “We lost but it was close. We needed 143 votes (1/3) to stop FISA since they suspended the rules to bring it to the floor.”
The mammoth $886 billion NDAA is $28 billion more than what was approved last year. President Biden is seeking another $111 billion to fund military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on top of regular military spending, but Republicans are holding out until Democrats agree to a deal on significant changes to border policies.
The new NDAA includes several amendments to fund the US and allied military buildup in the Indo-Pacific that’s aimed at China. One amendment allows the Pentagon to transfer three nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines to Australia as part of the AUKUS military pact the US, Britain, and Australia signed in 2021 to prepare for a future war with China.
Lots of “Nays” from California, Texas and Florida. One from my state, Michigan. Tlaib of course. My ex-general congressman voted “Yea” to my utter shock(/s).
Bloody Hell! Surveil my a—???
Plus, I am paying for it with my bloody taxes?!!!!!
MSN.com = “A brief provision in the massive $886 billion bill funding the Pentagon will likely kill former President Donald Trump or any potential future president’s ambitions to withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”
“If you look at Donald Trump’s first term, he viewed the senior command of the U.S. military and the senior civil servants of the Defense Department as obstacles and opponents to things that he (Trump) wanted to do, including using force against American citizens in the streets”
and =
“…. Trump’s attempts to co-op the military against protesters and his later accusations that Gen. Mark Milley should be executed for treason.”
……. former Naval College professor Tom Nichols
right then. is Trump “anti-war”? certainly not when it comes to war against the American people.
and profits.
and there you go – thank you sir or madam
Oh goody,more wars on the schedule. Where will the fickle finger of fate strike next. Iran,China,Mexico,North Korea,Africa. Pick a name and hit the jackpot.
Every country you mention and probably a few you haven`t will sooner or later come under American intervention , Proxy war , invasion ect ect the very meaning of for ever wars
Do you think NATO will survive the Ukraine disaster? I think it is in slow motion collapse already. Biden did it.
Biden will go down in infamy, the worst president ever.
If Biden causes NATO to go down by his decisions it is a case of where an “ill wind blows some good.”
NATO will survive come what may , the NATO LACKEYS are getting a free ride regards SECURITY costing US citizens BILLIONS in USD Dollars that should be spent at home making life easier for Americans .
The EU will not survive. The EU economy funded NATO. NATO always served American interests, NATO was never used in defense of a NATO member, but it was used to support aggressive US wars like Iraq and Afghanistan and the funding of the Bush Gulf war. NATO has to go for the benefit of all citizens, US and European, as it is, it benefits the war profiteers like all wars do and no one else.
The North Atlantic treaty is to keep Europe in it`s place as not to become a Economic or Military threat to US HEGEMONY
I wonder if brain scans are included in section 702.
And the $ black budget isn’t included in this, of course.
Don’t give ’em any ideas!
But they already have them, anything to hold on to power goes.
They didn’t just reauthorize Section 702, they expanded the spying powers more than anything since the Patriot Act was originally enacted. Now, any business that provides public WiFi will be required to assist the cops and spooks to spy on us, without warrants.
Bloody hell!
Have you always been across the pond, or too much BBC?
Yes. The police have stingray technology where they can mimic a cell tower and collect all the information from cell phones that connect to it.
George Orwell more or less predicted this in his book 1984 .
Remember that old-time expression “the sky’s the limit”? So far out-of-date now. And when it comes to Section 702, new depths have been plumbed: with no relief in sight.
Was there ever any doubt that the Congress would pass a horrendous bill depriving citizens of their rights and bringing us closer to 1984 and the imposition of a totalaterian state?
April 19, 2024… Really…?! Only on paper…surveillance would continue until the collapse of empire…!
They are almost there, the train wreck, the collapse of empire, can happen any moment now.
The dishonesty is overwhelming, it is a $1 trillion military caviar bill and more, and they know it, all their gimmicks don’t change it.
The hegemon is just another dying empire standing on lies, insane ignorance and incompetence, a failed democracy.
“No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” Gideon Tucker
AND THIS INCLUDES THE LATEST HERE:
Defence deal with Finland will give US access to 15 military bases on Russian border. Poor Finland, they just don’t seem to get it re. the USA and its plans for a nuclear war in Europe.
“Russia would regard the presence of Nato infrastructure near its borders as a threat, said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.
“This will certainly lead to tension. We can only regret this,” Mr Peskov said.
The treaty must be approved by Finland’s parliament.
Elina Valtonen, the country’s foreign minister, will be present in Washington during the signing to meet Antony Blinken, the United States secretary of state.
Washington signed a similar pact with Sweden on Dec 6 that gives the US access to 17 military bases. https://news.yahoo.com/defence-deal-finland-us-access-185708627.html
When it comes to giving the US access to military bases Joe Public should have a say in it , after all it will be them being killed by the thousands .
And there you have it , TO PREPARE FOR A FUTURE WAR WITH CHINA , the fact that China will be ready and waiting and will probably decimate US assets before they are within striking distance of the Chinese main land , all US bases in countries surrounding China who allow US assets to used against China will come under attack from China , there is no way the US can beat China on it`s own there for WW3 will ensue .