Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee and sponsor of a resolution critical of the Bush Administration’s widespread use of signing statements to avert enforcement of recently passed legislation, released the following statement in reaction to a deal brokered between the White House and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) on the secret NSA wiretapping program:

“While I am pleased that President Bush finally has conceded that the domestic surveillance program should be subjected to FISA Court scrutiny, this should not exempt the secret program from thorough congressional scrutiny.  The closed-door deal reached with Senator Specter should be the beginning of full congressional review of the program and any legislation that is based on the agreement, not the end of the story.  President Bush’s ‘take it, or leave it’ position is counter-productive and contrary to our system of checks and balances.  The secret domestic surveillance program has operated in the shadows – now is the time for the courts and the Congress to shed some light on it.”