This week the House of Representatives turned a strong vehicle for surveillance reform — the USA Freedom Act — into a shell of its former self.

The bill, which the Free Press Action Fund had previously supported, was gutted by the House leadership before it passed by a vote of 303–121.

Rather than limiting in an airtight fashion who or what the NSA is allowed to surveil, the bill includes new language that could actually expand the agency’s ability to collect information on us. The amended bill also includes weakened transparency provisions, in some cases making it harder for companies to report on the national security requests they’re getting. And the House has removed many of the additional protections that were present in earlier forms of the bill.

For these reasons, the Free Press Action Fund did not support the version of the USA Freedom Act that the House passed on May 22. We look forward to debate in the Senate, where we will continue to fight for strong reforms that will truly protect our ability to connect and communicate in private.