Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AL) is building support for extending provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that, without intervention, will expire on May 31, reports Politico. While many Democrats and the libertarian wing of the Republican party would like to see safeguards built in, Cotton, with the support of GOP leaders, is pushing for a clean extension and “serving as an emissary on the issue to GOP freshmen,” the report states. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) have introduced a bill to extend the three expiring provisions, including the controversial Section 215, for five and a half years. Cotton said he “would like to see a permanent reauthorization … so we don’t continue to have these debates,” but called the McConnell-Burr bill “appropriate.”
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