Momentum against the TIA program is escalating, as the Senate agreed yesterday in a voice vote to accept Ron Wyden’s Amendment 59 to H. Res. 15, the continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2003. The purpose of the amendment is to block the use of funds for further development and expansion of the program until such time as its impact on civil liberties can be accurately evaluated. Such an evaluation has not been possible as formal Congressional requests for detailed documentation on TIA activities have not yielded results. This matter will now probably move on to a House-Senate conference. In the interim, the program’s funding, and its work, will continue.
For reference, please see the Congressional Record, January 23, 2003 (Senate), Page S1379-S1419. The text of Amendment 59 is toward the bottom of this document, which is quite long, and loads very slowly.