Final FISA Amendment FailsThe Senate defeated the final — and least-divisive — of three amendments to the new federal wiretapping bill it’s considering today.
It was closer than the other two votes today — this one shot down 56-42. Rules required 60 votes to approve the amendment.
The third and final amendment called for Congress to wait until after reviewing a pending inspector general’s report about the White House’s surveillance program before determining whether to grant immunity to telecom companies. It was sponsored by Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).
The defeat of those amendments all but guarantees that the broader FISA law will pass when the Senate takes it up, probably later this afternoon.
The senators broke for lunch.