Congress
699 Articles
A New, and This Time Bipartisan, Proposal for an AUMF Against ISIL
As we highlighted last week, there has been recent movement in Congress to refocus on the need for an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIL. Sen. Tim…
Will Assad Put Himself in US Crosshairs by Working With ISIL?
The news that Syrian troops are providing support to ISIL may add a dangerous new twist to the US campaign against the terrorist group and open up legal authority for the US to…
The Senate’s Guantánamo Bill: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
The Need for a USA Freedom Technical Corrections Act
In a post on Thursday entitled “What Did the USA FREEDOM Act Actually Amend?,” Megan Graham of Just Security carefully described a huge problem with the USA FREEDOM Act, one…
A New Prospect for Congressional Debate on an AUMF Against ISIL?
This week has brought some interesting developments in Congress related to authorizations for the use of military force in the fight against ISIL. Most recently, Rep. James McGovern…
Text of the Senate Bill for Closing Guantánamo Plus White House’s Veto Recommendation
This week, the full Senate is considering the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 Defense Authorization bill, the text of which was very recently made public. While the bill covers billions…
What Did the USA Freedom Act Actually Amend?
There has been a lot of ink spilled here and elsewhere about the USA Freedom Act over the last several weeks. Its privacy protections. Its alterations to the government’s surveillance…
(Unadulterated) USA Freedom Act to become law [UPDATED with vote tally]
The Senate today decisively rejected each of the proposed amendments to the House-passed USA Freedom Act (see roll call votes here). It then approved the bill by a vote of 67-32 (with…
Chris Soghoian on What’s Wrong With the Debate on Section 215
It’s great that the sunset of Section 215 has reignited the debate about mass surveillance in the United States, but all the focus on this one provision, more specifically on…
The Patriot Act’s Sunset Recess
The Senate entered its Memorial Day recess without passing either a Patriot Act extension or a reform bill along the lines of the Freedom Act. Amid intense congressional wrangling…
Scaremongering about the Patriot Act Sunset
The Capitol Dome. Image Credit: Architect of the Capitol. In a last-ditch effort to scare lawmakers into preserving unpopular and much-abused surveillance authorities, the Senate…
Confirm the Legal Adviser
The Harry S. Truman Building, the State Department’s headquarters. Image credit: Ctac via Wikimedia Commons. This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections”…