Isle Democrats support ban on warrantless surveillance

U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa, Hawaii Democrats, were among the majority as the Republican-led House approved new curbs on government spying of Americans as revelations of the secretive National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records still reverberate a year later.

In a surprise vote late Thursday, the House backed an amendment to a $570 billion defense spending bill that would bar warrantless collection of personal online information and prohibit "back-door" access for the NSA and CIA into commercial tech products.

Gabbard was among 12 co-sponsors of the amendment, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

"Millions of innocent Americans have been victims of our government’s illegal spying program for years," Gabbard said. "It’s time to finally put an end to this unconstitutional program."

The vote on the amendment was 293-123. Work on the underlying bill was completed Friday, with passage by a 340-73 vote.

The funding legislation for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 would provide the money for military operations, including actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as weapons and military personnel. It also halts any Guantanamo transfers for a year amid the furor over the American-for-Taliban swap for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

The White House has objected to the legislation, complaining about the Guantanamo restrictions and attempts to spare weapons from Pentagon cost-cutters.

Wary of U.S. re-engagement in Iraq three years after combat troops left, Hanabusa and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., won voice vote approval for an amendment requiring the president to seek congressional approval for sustained military action in Iraq.

"This miscalculation is not worth repeating," Hanabusa said of Iraq during the debate. The vote came hours after Obama announced that he would dispatch up to 300 military advisers to help quell the growing insurgency in Iraq.

"I believe that is a vital step in ensuring that we act responsibly and with due concern for the men and women who have volunteered to defend our nation," she added. "The amendment passed without opposition, which I take as a clear indication that we share a profound reluctance to commit our nation again to combat in the region."