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US Senate considers National Defense Authorization Act |
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is being considered on the US Senate floor as we speak and may come up for a vote as soon as Monday, Nov. 28. Sens Conrad (ND), Johnson (SD), and Hoeven (ND) are key targets for the ACLU on this bill, and we need YOUR HELP in reaching out to their offices and urge them to vote the right way. The issues ACLU is concerned with are:
1) Indefinite Detention and Mandatory Military Detention: the Senate NDAA currently contains troubling provisions that would give the President - and all future presidents - the authority to indefinitely imprison people, without charge or trial, both abroad and inside the United States and would mandate military detention of some civilians who would otherwise be outside of military control. The indefinite detention without charge or trial provisions are so harmful that the Obama White House has threatened to veto the bill if they are not removed from it. The Senate needs to back up the President and affirm the rule of law. We are urging senators to vote YES on the Udall amendment to the NDAA. The Udall amendment would delete the harmful provisions and instead set up an orderly process for Congress and the Administration to decide whether Congress should provide any new detention authority.
2) Torture: Senator Ayotte has introduced an amendment that would open the door to a return to cruel interrogations, overturning President Obama's executive order which requires that all U.S. interrogators abide by the Army's field manual on interrogations. We urge Senators to OPPOSE the Ayotte amendment. More information on why members should oppose the Ayotte amendment can be found here. |
