Susan Collins has released this statement on the President’s recent comments issued after the Collins-Carper postal reform bill was signed into law:
“The Collins-Carper postal reform bill, which was recently signed into law, represents the most sweeping reforms to the US Postal Service in decades, but does absolutely nothing to alter the protections of privacy and civil liberties provided by the Constitution and other federal laws.
“The circumstances and procedures under which the government may search sealed mail are well-defined. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and our federal criminal rules require prior judicial approval before domestic sealed mail can be searched. Under limited circumstances when there is an immediate danger to life or limb or an immediate and substantial danger to property, our Postal Inspectors have the authority to search a sealed package or envelope. This occurs, for example, when wires protruding from a package, odors escaping from an envelope, or stains on the outside of a package indicate the contents may constitute such a danger.
“I have long had concerns about the President’s broad use of signing statements to raise questions about the executive’s intention to comply with legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by the President. And it is my hope that the Administration will clarify its intent with this recent statement.”
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