WASHINGTON -- April 28 -- A coalition of conservative and progressive members of Congress today held a news conference to announce the formation of the Patriot Act Reform Caucus. Press conference participants Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and Butch Otter (R-ID), called for initiatives that protect the safety and security of our nation, while ensuring that the laws we pass to fight the war on terrorism do not violate civil liberties or diminish our system of checks and balances.

The caucus will work with outside groups to educate Congress on the need for Patriot Act reforms and develop legislative proposals to ensure that constitutional freedoms and protections are maintained in any Patriot Act reauthorization. With several sections of the Patriot Act scheduled to sunset at the end of 2005, Congress is reexamining the law to determine the necessity of its provisions. Chaired by Sanders, Flake, Paul, and Nadler, the Patriot Act Reform caucus will play an important role in ensuring that American’s civil liberties are protected.

Sanders said, “This caucus shows that opposition to the Patriot Act comes from progressives and conservatives alike. Terrorism is a serious threat and the threat and the United States government should do all it can to protect our citizens from another terrorist attack. However we do not have to sacrifice our basic civil liberties to do that. We can protect the American people while at the same time upholding the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

Flake adds. “The Patriot Act is an incredibly powerful tool in our government’s ability to fight terrorism, and it’s important that the federal government use that power responsibly.”

“The Patriot Act needs to be revised in places to bring it into conformity with the Constitution, and to enhance checks and balances,” Nadler said. “Our default should not simply be to accept an executive branch who says, ‘Just trust us.’ This caucus includes Republicans and Democrats, as well as the only Independent in the House, and we’re going to be taking a hard look at the bill’s various provisions. Some of the sunsetting provisions should be kept as is, but others shouldn’t. We’re looking forward to working together to shape the best bill possible.”

Supporters of the Patriot Act argue that its provisions have not been abused since its passage in 2001,” said Paul. In essence, Justice Department officials are saying: “Trust us-- we’re the government and we say the Patriot Act does not threaten civil liberties.” But this argument misses the point. Government assurances simply are not good enough in a free society. The overwhelming burden always must be placed on government to justify any new encroachment on our liberty. Now that the emotions of September 11th have cooled, the American people are less willing to blindly accept terrorism as an excuse for expanding federal surveillance powers.

The Patriot Act Reform Caucus has broad support from groups all across the United States, representing many different points on the political spectrum. The caucus is supported by the Liberty Coalition, a group of over twenty organizations whose members include the ACLU, the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Association of American Physicians and Physicians and Surgeons, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and Gun Owners of America; The Campaign for Reader Privacy, which includes the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association, the PEN American Center, and the American Association of Publishers; the Center for Democracy and Technology Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances b ; and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

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