Lawmakers sceptical about Obama's surveillance idea

WASHINGTON (AP):

LEADERS OF the congressional intelligence committees are pushing back against a key part of President Barack Obama's attempt to overhaul United States (US) surveillance, saying it is unworkable for the Government to let someone else control how Americans' phone records are stored.

Obama, under pressure over the controversy over government spying, said last week he wants bulk phone data stored outside the government to reduce the risk that the records will be abused.

Republican Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that Obama had intensified a sense of uncertainty about the country's ability to root out terrorist threats. Obama didn't say who should have control of Americans' data; he directed the attorney general and director of national intelligence to find a solution within 60 days.

"We really did need a decision on Friday, and what we got was lots of uncertainty," Rogers, R-Mich, said. "And just in my conversations over the weekend with intelligence officials, this new level of uncertainty is already having a bit of an impact on our ability to protect Americans by finding terrorists who are trying to reach into the United States."