Tester: Washington is Again Infringing on our Montana Way of Life

Senator Votes to End Controversial Government Surveillance Program

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester issued the following statement after voting to end Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which provides the federal government with the authority to observe and collect data on law-abiding Americans without a warrant:

“Montanans expect freedom, privacy, and a government that we the people control, but Washington, D.C. is again infringing on our Montana way of life. Today Congress gave the federal government the authority to continue warrantless searches, secret personal data collection, and intrusive government spying on law-abiding Americans. I will keep doing all I can to defend Montanans from an intrusive federal government.”

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was reauthorized by the Senate with a vote of 65-34.

Tester is sponsoring the USA RIGHTS Act to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to protect Montanans from having their information unknowingly collected by the government.

Tester has voted multiple times to repeal the controversial PATRIOT Act.