Rand Paul Takes Aim at Patriot Act in Speech

Mr. Paul saw an opportunity to spotlight his concern as Congress began considering legislation to extend the Patriot Act, the antiterror law passed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which is due to expire June 1. The NSA has said its phone-data-collection program was authorized by the act, although a federal court recently undercut that legal argument.

If the phone-data program isn’t reauthorized, it must end June 1, a prospect that many believe is unlikely. Nonetheless, the Justice Department told Congress Wednesday that it and the NSA would begin winding down the program on Friday amid the debate about whether it would be reauthorized.

The House has passed a compromise bill, known as the USA Freedom Act, that would extend the Patriot Act but curb the phone-data program—a measure that Mr. Paul opposes because he said it didn’t go far enough in protecting phone privacy.

The bill is slated for Senate consideration this week, along with an alternative that would extend the current program for two months to allow time to complete a longer extension. But the Senate is also struggling to finish work on trade and highway bills before the end of the week, when lawmakers are scheduled to begin a weeklong Memorial Day recess.

Mr. Paul has carved out a niche in the GOP presidential field by calling for an end to the NSA program and expressing willingness to allow the Patriot Act to expire if necessary. On the opposite side of the debate are Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who want to extend the Patriot Act and its phone-data collection efforts.

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