Sen. Wyden pledges to block Senate vote on NSA director nomination

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., vowed earlier this week to block the vote on the NSA director nominee until answers are given about whether or not the spy unit is purchasing Americans' data. 

“The American people have a right to know whether the NSA is conducting warrantless domestic surveillance of Americans in a manner that circumvents the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution,” Wyden said, according to Politico.

Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh is the nominee and if appointed, he would lead both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

Haugh’s nomination has been held up for several months by Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala., hold on all military nominations.

Wyden is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and he has expressed concern in the past about warrantless surveillance of Americans. Specifically, he has complained that he received information in 2021 about the NSA purchasing and using location data collected on Americans, but officials from both the defense and intelligence departments have refused to make that information public. 

Last month, he introduced a bipartisan bill to reform surveillance laws and protect Americans' Fourth Amendment rights.

“Our bill continues to give government agencies broad authority to collect information on threats at home and abroad, including the ability to act quickly in emergencies and settle up with the court later. But it creates much stronger protections for the privacy of law-abiding Americans, and restores the warrant protections that are at the heart of the Fourth Amendment," Wyden said in a press release.