This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, February 17th, 2020. I'm Caleb Brown.

Americans safety from the prying eyes of the federal government is always at risk.

So how best to change it?

U.S. Senator Steve Danes and Ron Wyden have an idea they say will make it harder for

intelligence agencies to sweep up the communications of so many Americans.

We spoke on Capitol Hill last week.

Walk me through some of the reforms in your proposal.

Sure. Well, I... some of the reforms in your proposal.

Sure.

Well, just brief background.

When I think about why do we have Montana and Oregon here today, I think about we have got a couple

of Western states. You've got a

Republican from Montana, a Democrat from Oregon, who are partnering representing

views oftentimes led in the West which is this inherent

distrust of the federal government. I think as Westerners we just were born that

way. What we do in this bill is first and foremost revoking the authority forever for the now

terminated called detail record program that bulk collection of data that so

many Americans had concerns about will be once and for all killed as

result of this bill. This is all about strengthening privacy and the civil liberties for the American people for Montana.

This is about Fourth Amendment protections.

And I think importantly it's protecting Montana's from these government spy programs.

Call it what you want.

...