NSA reform bill stalled with Congress headed toward fall recess

Congress is unlikely to pass legislation to end the National Security Agency's widespread collection of US telephone records before leaving Washington (DC) on a two-month break.

Congress is scheduled to leave town for its fall recess by the end of this week, with the USA Freedom Act still awaiting action in the Senate. Members of Congress will head back to their home districts to campaign for November's elections, with all members of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate on the ballot. The USA Freedom Act, with significant support in the House and the Senate, still has some lawmakers questioning whether reining in the NSA's phone records collection program would hurt the US government's war on terrorism.