You should be outraged! While Obama distracted you with a government shutdown, look what Senate Democrats snuck into this bill!

Amendment gives White House unilateral authority to spy on the American people

Overshadowed by the potential government shutdown and funding vote in the House, another bill was passed this week by Congress, one with much more sinister, and flagrantly un-American, goals.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Congress passed a bill that gives a major boost to the surveillance powers of the White House, and grants it unprecedented legal authority to act without a warrant from a judge.

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Republican Representative Justin Amash has been attempting to fight the bill, and on Wednesday he aggressively fought to block its passage.

But the funding for the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2015 was passed anyways, despite Amash warning that amended language in the bill would grant unprecedented legal authority to the controversial Reagen-era surveillance law.

Despite Amash's efforts, the bill passed 325-100. Only 55 Democrats and 45 Republicans opposed the bill.

On his Facebook page, Amash called the new provisions "one of the most egregious sections of law I've encountered during my time as a representative."

Previously, Amash had been behind a joint, Republican-Tea Party-Libertarian initiative to defund the National Security Agency after reports of illegal and unconstitutional activity were leaked.

The new provisions "grants the executive branch virtually unlimited access to the communications of every American."

In a letter prior to the vote, Amash pleaded with his colleagues to oppose the bill following its amendment in the Senate.

"The intelligence reauthorization bill, which the House will vote on today, contains a troubling new provision that for the first time statutorily authorizes spying on U.S. citizens without legal process," Amash wrote.

The amendment, he wrote, "authorizes 'the acquisition, retention, and dissemination' of nonpublic communications, including those to and from U.S. persons. ..." and that "... those private communications of Americans, obtained without a court order, may be transferred to domestic law enforcement for criminal investigations."

Amash reconfirmed his plea at the end of his letter.

"I urge you to join me in voting 'no' on (the intelligence reauthorization bill), when it comes before the House today."

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