The Bill was designed to end the NSA's blanket permission to record metadata in bulk. The NSA had been recording all cellphone conversations in some areas. The program came to the nation's attention through Edward Snowden.
In order to pass the Senate, it needed at least 60 votes. It only received 58. Some senators on both sides criticized it. The Republicans were mostly against the passage of the bill, largely because they felt that this type of surveillance is needed to help fight against terrorist groups like ISIS.
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-usa-freedom-act-was-just-blocked-in-the-senate-2014-11
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Graphics: Mine
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Keywords: USA Freedom Act, NSA, Senate, failed to pass, Republicans