Members of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives allowed a law that expanded the U.S. government's surveillance capabilities to lapse this weekend rather than pass a more permanent measure that would give immunity to the telecommunications companies that had previously cooperated with the Bush Administration's potentially illegal domestic wiretapping program.

The Protect America Act, a law passed in August 2007, gave intelligence officials the ability to wiretap international communications without a warrant, provided the target of the surveillance was not a U.S. citizen. Because of the significant expansion in powers granted by the legislation, lawmakers limited the act's life to six months, during which time they hoped to draft a more balanced piece of legislation.

Instead, the Bush Administration threatened to veto any legislation that did not squash the more than three dozen lawsuits filed against telecommunications companies for their cooperation with U.S. government surveillance that violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). A week ago, the U.S. Senate passed the FISA Amendments Act, which both increased surveillance powers and granted retroactive immunity as requested by the Bush Administration.

With the expiration of the Protect America Act on Saturday, the Bush Administration raised the specter of a terrorist attack, claiming the nation now faces greater risks.

"House leaders blocked a good piece of legislation that would give out intelligence community the tools they need to protect America from a terrorist attack," President Bush said on Friday, according to a White House statement. "By blocking this piece of legislation, our country is more in danger of an attack."

House leaders criticized the President Bush's unwillingness to compromise on the law and his refusal to allow a second extension to the term of the Protect America Act. The United States' Director of National Intelligence had previously stated that there is no longer any backlog of cases, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi stated in a press release.

"The President is misrepresenting the facts on our nation’s electronic surveillance capabilities," Rep. Pelosi stated. "Last August, he insisted that Congress pass the Protect America Act; but this week, he refused to support an extension, which can only mean he knows our intelligence agencies will be able to do all the wiretapping they need to do to protect the nation."

Civil rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), commended House leaders for letting the surveillance law lapse. The ACLU is the plaintiff in a number of lawsuits against the government and telecommunications companies.

If you have tips or insights on this topic, please contact SecurityFocus.