President Pushes to Extend Surveillance Law

The Obama administration is lobbying for renewal of a controversial 2008 surveillance law, warning that the U.S. would lose a critical intelligence-collection tool if Congress allows the measure to expire at year's end.

As President Barack Obama emphasizes his national-security record in his re-election campaign, he's facing strong resistance from some lawmakers who say the law lacks sufficient privacy protections. The Republican-dominated House is expected as soon as September 12 to pass the bill, which would extend the law for five years. But its fate is less clear in the Senate, where Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is blocking Senate consideration, because the government hasn't provided an estimate of the number of Americans who have been spied on under the law.