House votes 338-88 to end NSA's bulk phone data collection
On Wednesday, the House approved legislation that would put an end to the bulk collection of phone records by the National Security Agency.
The bipartisan USA Freedom Act passed 338 to 88, and would stop the NSA from collecting metadata about when people place phone calls and what numbers are being dialed, The Hill reports. The bill, which would also require the NSA to obtain a court order to see data and would place limits on the types of data that can be collected, was opposed by 47 Republicans and 41 Democrats.
The provision of the Patriot Act that allows the NSA to collect metadata expires on June 1, and supporters of the program say national security will be compromised if the law isn't extended. Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the NSA's bulk collection of phone records is illegal.
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