State GOP calls on Carney to act on FISA logjam

U.S. Rep. Chris CarneyThe Pennsylvania Republican Party has singled out U.S. Rep. Chris Carney (D-Dimock) to sign a discharge petition that would force the Senate overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to the House floor.

"If Congressman Chris Carney is serious about getting things done for the people of his district, then he should join the nearly two-hundred Congressional members who signed a discharge petition that would force the Senate overhaul of the FISA to the House floor," Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Robert Gleason said in a statement on Wednesday. "Carney is already on the record as supporting this legislation, but has refused to do anything to help get it passed."

Rebecca Gale, spokeswoman for Carney, said he takes national security extremely seriously but had nothing further to add about the call to sign the discharge petition.

To force a vote on the Senate bill, which passed earlier this year, 218 lawmakers need to sign the discharge petition. House Republicans introduced this at the end of April in hopes they could coerce Democrats to sign it so the House could look at the Senate-passed version of the bill. No Democrats have signed the petition.

Intelligence surveillance has become a heated topic for debate among congressional leaders since the Protect America Act, which extended legislation on domestic wiretapping laws, expired in February.

"Many Pennsylvanians living in the 10th Congressional District are looking forward to November so they can vote for Chris Hackett for Congress," Gleason said in a statement. "They know that Chris will represent their values, not the values of San Francisco liberal House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Congressman Chris Carney has proven to be a loyal foot soldier in Nancy Pelosi's liberal do-nothing Congress."

Incumbent freshmen Carney, faces Republican nominee Chris Hackett for the 10th congressional district seat in the November primary. Hackett defeated Dan Meuser by a narrow margin in a very expensive primary race in April.