Republican opponents of White House-backed legislation that would rein in NSA surveillance programs narrowly blocked the Senate from taking up the bill Tuesday after warning it could help terrorists escape detection . On a tally of 58 to 42 , a procedural vote failed to get the supermajority 60 votes it needed to advance . Supporters of the USA Freedom Act , a rare mix of liberal Democrats and libertarian Republicans , hoped public outrage over the secret mass collection of phone and Internet records -- revealed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden -- would lead to passage of the reforms . But many opponents argued the changes would hamper the National Security Agency 's ability to track nimble and elusive terrorists . Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell led the charge against the bill , saying the new rules would prevent the United States from capturing the terrorists who killed Peter Kassig , a U.S. citizen doing aid work in Syria . Kassig was executed over the weekend . `` Many of these fighters are familiar with America 's intelligence capabilities , and many are savvy with communications . These are terrorists who know how to use encryption , and they how to change devices quickly , '' he said . `` This is the worst time to be tying our hands behind our backs . '' `` It basically takes us back to a pre-9/11 lack of capacity to identify terrorists making telephone calls in the United States , said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas , the second-ranking Senate Republican . `` I think that sort of unilateral disarmament would be bad for the country . '' McConnell also argued the measure should be debated and voted on in the new Congress next year , not by lawmakers in a lame duck session who are leaving Washington . Sen. Patrick Leahy , D-Vermont , the bill 's principal author , disputed the critics saying that while it puts checks on the NSA 's powerful capabilities , it `` does so responsibly . '' `` The bill contains key reforms to safeguard Americans ' privacy by prohibiting the indiscriminate collection of their data . It also provides for greater accountability and transparency of the government 's surveillance programs , '' he said . `` The bill also ensures that the intelligence community has the tools it needs to keep our country safe . '' Under the bill , the government could no longer store massive amounts of call information in its databases , a practice President Barack Obama said he wanted to end . That job would fall to the large telecommunication companies . But the government could get permission from a secret surveillance court to review specific call information if it could show it might be linked to terrorists . Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California , who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee , said this arrangement `` solves '' a `` very practical problem '' raised by those who are uncomfortable with the government storing calling records of Americans . But Sen. Susan Collins , R-Maine , said the public 's privacy would be better protected by strict federal government safeguards of that information than by the thousands of employees at private phone companies . In a statement Monday , the White House urged passage of the bill . `` This legislation will help strengthen Americans ' confidence in the government 's use of these important national security authorities . Without passage of this bill , critical authorities that are appropriately reformed in this legislation could expire next summer . The administration urges Congress to take action on this legislation now , since delay may subject these important national security authorities to brinksmanship and uncertainty . '' The bill is supported by a coalition of technology companies , including Google , Apple , AOL , Microsoft and Yahoo , who have deep concerns that their customers ' privacy is being violated by the current NSA techniques . Supporters suffered a setback last week when Sen. Rand Paul , R-Kentucky , who had favored the measure , announced he would not back it . However , other like-minded Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah voted to advance the bill .
Supporters of bill that would curb NSA fail to get supermajority of 60 votes . White House , liberal Democrats and some libertarian Republicans supported the bill . Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell led the charge against the bill . Under bill , government could no longer keep large amounts of call information in its databases .