Extension of Patriot Act Fails

 The House failed to pass an extension of key provisions of the 2001 Patriot Act. This comes as there will likely be another vote on the measure later this week. The bill required two-thirds of the members of the House in order to pass but came up short by seven votes.

This comes as over twenty Republicans voted against the bill. Some of these GOP Representatives included newly elected Tea Party members who voted with the Democrats on the issue. These included many in the new Tea Party Caucus:

The vote was the latest signal, though, that on certain matters House leaders could face a sizable resistance to compromise from within their own ranks, both from the 87 GOP freshmen and from conservative veterans who have been emboldened by the newcomers.

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