The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a wiretap surveillance bill which President George W. Bush has vowed to veto, deepening a stand-off over anti-terror espionage powers.
The Democratic-led House voted 213 to 197 to adopt the measure, which fails to provide retroactive legal immunity for telecommunications firms which co-operated in surveillance after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The vote, before Congress leaves for a two-week spring break, ensures the showdown on the balance between eavesdropping powers and civil liberties will drag on for weeks, even as the White House warns the wrangle threatens American security.
Bush supports a bill already passed by the Senate, which does provide the immunity, sought by telecommunications providers who may have allowed the government to monitor emails and telephone calls routed through US servers.
Republican House minority leader John Boehner condemned the Democrats for allowing the issue to fester over the legislature's recess. "This flawed legislation has no chance of becoming law, and the majority knows it," he said. "The fact that Congress is going on spring break, at a time when al Qaeda and other terrorist enemies continue plotting against us, is both irresponsible and dangerous."
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