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Tim Scott on Homeland Security
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Require stronger evidence for FISA electronic surveillance
The USA FREEDOM Act (HR 2048), sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), would establish new evidence requirements for the FBI to present to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court when seeking approval of electronic surveillance of suspected
terrorists, and make a variety of changes to FBI electronic surveillance programs and the oversight of those programs.A supporter of calling a vote, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), said it accommodated privacy concerns by restricting the set of records
related to terrorism investigations that the government can request from telecommunications companies, while still giving the government the powers it needed to stop terrorism.
A bill opponent, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said the bill failed to
require companies to maintain telecommunications records for long enough to make investigations effective. The vote was 57 yeas to 42 nays, with 3/5 majority required to call a vote.
YEAS: Scott R-SC
NAYS: Graham R-SC
Source: Greenville News coverage of 2016 South Carolina Senate race
, May 30, 2015
Maintain a superior nuclear arsenal
Question topic: The United States must maintain a nuclear arsenal that is safe, reliable, modern and numerically superior to those of potential adversaries.
Scott: Agree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 South Carolina Senate race
, Sep 30, 2014
Keep Guantanamo Bay open; keep military tribunals
Tim opposes relocating the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to American soil. Guantanamo is a well-run, state of the art facility that is remote, secure, and in which prisoners are treated humanely, with no signs of detainee mistreatment.
Moving those detainees to a base on the American mainland would make that base a terrorist target. Tim believes that war criminals should be tried by military tribunals, not the US court system, which is not designed for matters of national security.
Source: 2010 House campaign website, votetimscott.com, "The Issues"
, Nov 2, 2010
Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's roving wiretaps.
Congressional Summary: To prohibit Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content, including: - broadcasting, transmitting, and programming over noncommercial educational radio broadcast stations
- cooperating with foreign broadcasting networks
- assisting and supporting noncommercial educational radio broadcasting
- paying dues to such organizations
- or acquiring radio programs for public broadcast.
Proponent's Argument for voting Yes:
[Rep. Blackburn, R-TN]: This bill gets the Federal Government--and Federal taxpayers--out of the business of buying radio programming they do not agree with. This is a bill that is long overdue. Regardless of what you think of NPR, its programming or statements by its management, the time has come to cut the umbilical cord from the taxpayer support that has become as predictable as an entitlement program. Much has changed in the media landscape since the
wiretaps, to seek certain business records, and to gather intelligence on lone terrorists who are not affiliated with a known terrorist group. The Patriot Act works. It has proved effective in preventing terrorist attacks and protecting Americans. To let these provisions expire would leave every American less safe.
Opponent's Argument for voting No:
[Rep. Conyers, D-MI]: Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows a secret FISA court to authorize our government to collect business records or anything else, requiring that a person or business produce virtually any type record. We didn't think that that was right then. We don't think it's right now. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. And so I urge a "no" vote on the extension of these expiring provisions.
Reference: FISA Sunsets Extension Act;
Bill H.514
; vote number 11-HV066
on Feb 17, 2011
Sponsored opposing the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.
Scott co-sponsored Resolution on UN
Congressional Summary:Expressing the conditions for the US becoming a signatory to the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
- WHEREAS the ATT poses significant risks to the national security, foreign policy, and economic interests of the US as well as to the constitutional rights of US citizens and US sovereignty;
- WHEREAS the ATT fails to expressly recognize the fundamental, individual right to keep and to bear arms;
- WHEREAS the ATT places free democracies and totalitarian regimes on a basis of equality, recognizing their equal right to transfer arms, and is thereby dangerous to the security of the US;
- WHEREAS the ATT will create opportunities to engage in 'lawfare' against the US via the misuse of the treaty's tribunals;
- WHEREAS the ATT could hinder the US from fulfilling its strategic and moral commitments to provide arms to allies such as Taiwan & Israel;
- Now, therefore, be it RESOLVED that--
- the President should not sign the Arms Trade Treaty,
and that the Senate should not ratify the ATT; and
- that no Federal funds should be authorized to implement the ATT.
Opponent's argument against bill:(United Nations press release, June 3, 2013):
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon str
Source: S.CON.RES.7 & H.CON.RES.23 : 13-SC007 on Mar 13, 2013
Page last updated: Mar 05, 2016