Washington—Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement after the Senate passed the USA FREEDOM Act 67-32:

“Despite our differences, the Senate came together today to pass a bipartisan bill that reforms the Section 215 program, allowing this and two other important counterterrorism programs to continue. I believe these programs are necessary to protect American lives and prevent terrorist attacks in our country.

“We all know that threat levels are high and that we have enemies who want to kill Americans and destroy what our country stands for. We also know the best method to disrupt those plots is good intelligence.

“The vote I cast today wasn’t on the basis that this bill was perfect, but that this bill was the best opportunity to quickly get these programs back up and running. I believe we can make further changes to the program, but also think the Senate was right in preserving this program.”

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