House Narrowly Rejects Effort to Limit N.S.A. Surveillance

House Narrowly Rejects Effort to Limit N.S.A. Surveillance

A divided House defeated legislation Wednesday that would have blocked the National Security Agency from collecting vast amounts of phone records, handing the Obama administration a hard-fought victory in the first Congressional showdown on intelligence policy since Edward Snowden’s security breaches last month.

But the bipartisan coalition, pressing to rein in the N.S.A., vowed that the increasing outrage unleashed by Mr. Snowden’s leaks would overwhelm opposition in the coming months.

The 217-205 vote was far closer than expected and displayed the shifting allegiances and fierce lobbying on both sides. Conservative Republicans — leery of what they see as Obama administration abuses of power — teamed with liberal Democrats long opposed to intrusive intelligence programs in a left-right coalition. The Obama administration made common cause with the House Republican leadership to try to block it.

READ MORE » http://www.nytimes.com?emc=edit_na_20130724