Patriot Act Defined

What is the Patriot Act

The US Patriot Act was the legislation passed soon after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and signed into law under the Bush administration, effective as of October 26 that year, to reform and reorganize the US government’s national security apparatus. The US Patriot Act accordingly received broad approval from both houses of Congress, and only received slight criticism after its passage, based principally on concerns over violations of civil liberties.

Obama and the Patriot Act

President Obama made, prior to his election to the White House, criticism of the Patriot Act’s package of legislation which found the Patriot Act unconstitutional. That being said, the following history of Obama and the Patriot Act has found a increased level of concord between Obama and the legislation, as shown by the March 1, 2010 announcement of a Presidentially-sponsored extension of the Patriot Act, which drew criticism from liberals.

NEXT: What is the Patriot Act?