Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government should drop all charges against Edward Snowden. It highlights that Snowden's 2013 disclosures revealed the National Security Agency's (NSA) bulk collection of Americans' telephone records, a program that then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper had falsely denied under oath. The resolution posits that Snowden's actions were in the public interest, exposing government overreach and abuse of civil liberties. The resolution cites several findings supporting its stance, including a 2014 report by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board which found no evidence that the NSA program contributed to discovering terrorist plots and significantly threatened constitutional rights. Furthermore, it references rulings by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2015) and the Ninth Circuit (2020) that declared the bulk collection program unlawful and potentially unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. These courts also found the program did not play a pivotal role in terrorism investigations. Ultimately, the resolution concludes that the NSA's bulk collection program was both illegal and unconstitutional . It asserts that Edward Snowden's disclosure of this program was in the public interest, and therefore, the Federal Government should cease all prosecution against him. The resolution emphasizes the need to protect whistleblowers who expose illegal and unconstitutional government actions.