Senate rejects compromise bill on surveillance

Senators left Capitol Hill May 23 without taking action to extend or replace a controversial surveillance program set to expire at the end of May, paralyzed by a debate over the proper balance between civil liberties and national security.

In an after-midnight vote, the Senate turned back a House-passed bill that would end the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of private telephone records, the only legislation that offered a smooth transition ahead of a June 1 deadline. A procedural vote on the bill failed 57-42, unable to gain the 60 votes necessary to proceed. A small cadre of senators, led by Rand Paul (R-KY), then rejected a variety of short-term extensions to the current authority in a dramatic floor exchange. That led Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to recall senators to the Capitol a day earlier than planned, on May 31, for a rare Sunday session hours ahead of the deadline.

An Obama Administration official said that because Senate did not take action, the process of winding down the surveillance program is now underway.