Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Successful Bipartisan Effort on the Patriot Act November 18, 2005 Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold released the following statement this afternoon on the decision by the Senate leadership to back down from an attempt to force a bad PATRIOT Act bill through the Senate this week. “I am pleased that the Senate leadership has backed down from its attempt to force a bad Patriot Act conference report through the Senate this week. The conference committee now has the chance to go back to the drawing board and make sure it fixes the current problems with the Patriot Act. I am proud of the efforts of our bipartisan coalition that blocked unwise action on a draft conference agreement that strayed so far from the reasonable Senate bill. Because certain provisions of the Patriot Act sunset at the end of the year, the reauthorization bill is the best opportunity we will have to fix the Patriot Act. Until a final conference report is prepared and signed, I won’t know whether I can support it. But I remain committed to doing everything I can to stop any bill that does not contain adequate protections for our rights and freedoms. Delaying consideration of the Patriot Act assures the American people that once there is a final bill from the conference committee, we will have adequate time to review and analyze it. Real debate needs to occur in the Senate and across the country on these crucial issues.”

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