Senator offers deal on NSA policies

Bulk phone record collection would end after two years.

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee is offering a compromise that would end bulk collection of phone records by the National Security Agency after a twoyear transition period, leaving it up to the House to accept the deal or allow expiration of government surveillance powers June 1.

The proposal by Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, came as the White House and House leaders urged the Senate on Thursday to take up a House-passed bill that would end NSA bulk collection immediately while preserving other surveillance powers set to expire.

“I don’t think anyone in the House wants it to go dead,” he told reporters.

Burr said he would propose that the Senate vote today to extend current law between five days and a month, leaving it up to the House to take or leave the Senate proposal when House members are scheduled to return June 1.

Earlier Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California appealed for Senate consideration of the USA Freedom Act, which their chamber passed 338-88 last week.

The bill would end the NSA’s collection and storage of domestic calling records.

But it would preserve the agency’s ability to query phone company records in search of domestic connections to international terrorists.

Burr and other GOP senators worry that there is no technical plan in place for the NSA to do that easily, and they would prefer a gradual transition.

Heading into a holiday break, the House was set to end its business Thursday. If senators fail to act, the NSA will begin winding down the phone records program this week, the Justice Department said.

The House measure also would renew two unrelated surveillance powers commonly used by the FBI to track spies and terrorists.

Both of the unrelated surveillance powers would expire at midnight May 31, including one making it easier for the FBI to track “lone wolf ” terrorism suspects. If that were to happen, FBI Director James Comey said it would set back the bureau at a time when domestic threats are on the rise.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he would allow a vote on the House bill and on his plan for a twomonth extension of the current law.

Burr told reporters that neither bill could yet clear the 60-vote hurdle to overcome a filibuster.

Pelosi and other Democrats said a two-month extension as unworkable. They pointed out that many House members who voted against the USA Freedom Act vehemently oppose NSA collection of phone records and want the bill to be stronger in its surveillance curbs.

Pelosi said senators “should face reality and come up with a bill.”

Boehner said he saw “a big disconnect” with the Senate on the issue.