 Dear Erick, While many Americans think of House and Senate procedure as arcane and unimportant to anyone except those on the Hill, procedural fights are of vital importance to the liberty movement. And Monday night, we partially won a critical procedural fight. Through social media and our website, Campaign for Liberty asked our members to contact the House Rules Committee and urge them to support bringing the Department of Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 2397, to the House floor under an “open” rule to allow votes on three key amendments. An open rule allows members not in leadership (or in leadership’s favor) to make their voices heard by introducing amendments, having a brief debate, and getting a vote. Congressman Ron Paul regularly took advantage of the open rule to force Congress to debate and vote on crucial issues of spending, civil liberties, and foreign policy. And Michigan Representative Justin Amash was relying on an open rule process to offer an amendment limiting the ability of the NSA to use taxpayer funds to spy on you in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie planned to use an open rule to introduce amendments preventing military and paramilitary “aid” to Egypt and Syria. C4L urged representatives to vote down any rule that didn’t allow for votes on the NSA, Egypt, and Syria. Despite a high likelihood that the Rules Committee would adopt a modified closed rule and rule the amendments we supported out of order, that didn’t happen. House Leadership recognized their rule could be defeated if they didn’t give us our votes. So late Monday night, despite adopting a modified closed rule, they still gave us the votes with extra time for debate! However, only one of Rep. Massie’s two amendments was ruled in order – to prevent military and paramilitary “aid” to the military junta in Egypt. Representative Amash’s amendment preventing the blanket collection of data on U.S. citizens under Section 215 of the so-called “Patriot” Act was also approved. The importance of this can’t be understated. Later today, the House will vote for the first time to curtail the NSA’s domestic spying program and to cut off the flow of military and paramilitary aid to Egypt! But Monday night’s victory is only half of the fight. Now that the House will consider Reps. Amash and Massie’s amendments, I need C4L members to turn up the pressure! Please contact Congress right away at 202-224-3121 and urge your representative to support Reps. Amash and Massie’s amendments to the Department of Defense appropriations bill. Members of Congress have a responsibility to exercise oversight over controversial aspects of public policy, and the power of the purse string is one of its most effective ways to do so. Now you and I have an excellent chance to stand up for taxpayers and our privacy rights through forcing Congress to uphold their responsibility. But with the White House and many members of Congress desperate to continue the NSA’s domestic spying and keep the funds flowing to arm the military junta in Egypt, we have to make our voices heard loudly and clearly! So please, call Congress TODAY at 202-224-3121 and urge your representative to support Reps. Amash and Massie’s amendments to the Department of Defense appropriations bill. After you contact Congress, I hope you’ll chip in $25, $50, or whatever you can afford to help C4L reach millions of more Americans on these vital issues. I want to flood Congress with a tidal wave of grassroots pressure demanding they respect our Fourth Amendment rights and stop throwing away our hard-earned money. But C4L can only recruit more Americans to our cause and mobilize them to take action with your help. So, if you support preventing the NSA’s blanket collection of data and stopping the flow of military and paramilitary aid to Egypt and Syria, please contact Congress and contribute whatever you are able to C4L today! In Liberty,  John Tate President P.S. Late Monday night, grassroots pressure prevailed, and the House Rules Committee approved bringing the Department of Defense appropriations bill to the House floor under a rule allowing votes on two vital amendments! Reps. Amash and Massie have introduced amendments to prevent the NSA’s blanket collection of innocent Americans’ data and stop the flow of military and paramilitary aid to Egypt. But Monday night’s victory is only half of the fight. Please, call Congress IMMEDIATELY at 202-224-3121 and urge your representative to support Reps. Amash and Massie’s amendments to the Department of Defense appropriations bill, H.R. 2397. And after you’ve called Congress, I hope you’ll chip in $25, $50, or whatever you can afford to help C4L recruit millions of more Americans to defend our Fourth Amendment rights and stop Congress from throwing away our hard-earned money!
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