Ron Wyden

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden on Sunday urged the Senate to give up on key parts of the Patriot Act and accept a compromise House bill that shifts the storage of phone data from the government back to the telephone companies. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

(The Associated Press )

Sen. Ron Wyden on Sunday night celebrated the death of key parts of the post-9/11 Patriot Act that the Oregon Democrat has long claimed led to unneeded mass surveillance by the nation's spy agencies.

"Tonight the collection of phone records of millions of innocent Americans will end," Wyden said in a statement after Senate Republican leaders were unable to prevent expiration of major surveillance provisions in the Patriot Act. "The demise of this dragnet surveillance is a victory for the principle that Americans do not need to sacrifice liberty to have security."

Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that he had "worked for this moment since I first learned about this flawed and illegal program almost a decade ago."

In his fight, Wyden has been closely allied with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has used the filibuster and other procedural moves to help thwart efforts by his fellow Kentucky Republican -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- to find a legislative solution that would largely keep the existing program intact.

On Sunday, Wyden and Paul parted ways, at least to some degree. Wyden joined most of his colleagues in voting 77-17 to move toward debate on a House-passed bill that would shift the storage of phone records from the government to the telephone companies. Paul opposed the move and was able to prevent a Senate vote on the bill for at least a couple of days.

The records contain information on such things as the length, time and recipients of the calls, but not the actual conversations. The existence of the mass surveillance program was revealed by a government contractor, Edward Snowden, who is now a fugitive in Russia.

On Sunday night, Wyden again argued that the massive surveillance program has not prevented any actual terrorist plots and that intelligence agencies already have the authority they need to get needed information. McConnell and most Republicans had sought to keep the Patriot Act largely intact, saying they thought it was too risky to shut down the current surveillance program.

Wyden and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., another ally on the intelligence committee, engaged in a back-and-forth on the Senate floor on why lawmakers should accept the House compromise bill, known as the USA Freedom Act.

The two senators said they would like to see additional surveillance limits but were willing to go forward for now with the House compromise. "For now, the two of us are saying we ought to support the U.S. Freedom Act and then move on, move on to other critical areas, "Wyden said.

Wyden, who like other senators had to return to Washington, D.C., for an unusual Sunday evening session, said Oregonians told him at town halls this last week that they "want policies that enhance their security and protect their liberty."

--Jeff Mapes

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@Jeffmapes