U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) cosponsored legislation this week from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) that would require all records of terrorist communications to be kept and would authorize counterterrorism tools critical to the safety and security of the nation.
“Recent events are a stark reminder that America faces some of the most complex security challenges in more than a generation,” Ernst said. “At this critical time, we cannot afford the potential for systematic and long-term gaps in our intelligence gathering. The USA Freedom Act alters our counterterrorism approach and opens the door to a false sense of security, undercutting protections previously put in place to preserve the security of the American people. In light of the continuous ISIS threats, the Liberty Through Strength Act II would provide additional security for Iowans from potential terrorist attacks on our homeland.”
The Liberty Through Strength Act II is a direct response to the Dec. 1 expiration of the NSA’s terrorist data collection program. The NSA program was shuttered by mandate of the USA Freedom Act, signed into law earlier this year.
Ernst opposed the USA Freedom Act, saying that she had “serious concerns over delegating responsibility solely to telephone companies. The USA Freedom Act fails to detail how long telephone companies are required to keep metadata records, and there are uncertainties about process delays in the transfer of information from telecom to the federal government.”
Ernst warned that now is the time to ensure that the intelligence community has the tools to identify terrorists and stop potential attacks.
“Now is not the time to impose unnecessary roadblocks within our counterterrorism approach,” Ernst said. “The risks are simply too high to move ahead with this untested approach without first certifying there is no impact on our current operations. My top priority is the safety and security of each and every American. We can and must do better for families in Iowa and nationwide.”
Ernst also served as a cosponsor last month for the original Liberty Through Strength Act, introduced by Cotton, to postpone the USA Freedom Act’s elimination of the collection of terrorist metadata by the NSA.