It took an extra day, but the House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill to reauthorize the nation's intelligence programs.
The House approved the bill by a 235-to-168 vote, after a controversial measure was removed that would have imposed tough punishments on CIA interrogators who cross the line while questioning suspected terrorists.
The House Democratic leadership team hoped to approve the measure Thursday, but in a stunning move was forced to yank the bill off the floor after the controversy over the CIA measure erupted.
Moderate and conservative Democrats joined most Republicans in crying foul when Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., added a provision to the measure that could punish CIA officers for engaging in "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" when they interrogate terrorism suspects. There was no concrete language, though, describing what the terms "cruel, inhuman and vague" meant -- the bill would have given Congress several years to define the terms.
More Here
The House approved the bill by a 235-to-168 vote, after a controversial measure was removed that would have imposed tough punishments on CIA interrogators who cross the line while questioning suspected terrorists.
The House Democratic leadership team hoped to approve the measure Thursday, but in a stunning move was forced to yank the bill off the floor after the controversy over the CIA measure erupted.
Moderate and conservative Democrats joined most Republicans in crying foul when Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., added a provision to the measure that could punish CIA officers for engaging in "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" when they interrogate terrorism suspects. There was no concrete language, though, describing what the terms "cruel, inhuman and vague" meant -- the bill would have given Congress several years to define the terms.
More Here