Wyden is urging committee leaders to allow a vote to take place publicly, saying the bill "will have enormous impact on the security, liberty, and constitutional rights of the American people" and should be debated in the open.
WASHINGTON: Former US intelligence officials who worked for both Republican and Democratic presidents urged Congress on Monday to renew an Internet surveillance programme they said has stopped militant plots and helped policymakers steer through international crises.
The program, authorised under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allows US spy agencies to eavesdrop on and store vast amounts of digital communications from foreign suspects living outside the United States. It will expire on Dec 31 if Congress does not act.
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