US Senate blocks bill on NSA surveillance Saturday May 23,2015

 

The Republican-dominated US Senate has blocked a bill passed by the House that could have halted the National Security Agency’s contentious phone surveillance program.

The Senate needed 60 votes in order for it to move ahead with the House bill, however, the vote was 57-42 early on Saturday May 23,2015

Now, the government is required to gain court approval if it needs phone records from companies on a case-by-case basis.

This came as a major blow to the White House, which has been pressurizing the Senate to back the House bill.

The Senate also rejected a short-term extension of the USA Patriot Act which will expire on June 1. The vote was 45-54, which again fell short of the 60-vote threshold.

The Patriot Act allows the NSA to collect any telephone and business records relevant to a counterterrorism investigation.