Senate Republicans are divided over whether to repeal language inserted in last week’s spending deal allowing senators to sue the Justice Department over metadata collection.
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., doubts a repeal would pass the Senate, calling the original provision “appropriate.”
But Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., thinks the upper chamber might have to deal with the issue after the House rolls it back as soon as today: “It certainly looks like it’s pretty unpopular.”
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she had nothing to do with it and that “what they came up with was a result of negotiations between” Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Schumer said Thune wanted it and now wants to repeal it — but Democrats “wanted to make sure that at least Democratic senators were protected from [Attorney General Pam] Bondi and others who might go after them.”