Chuck Schumer's Bill to Allow Drone Tracking Shot Down by Senators

A bill that would have allowed law enforcement agencies to track drones was shot down in Congress on December 18. This guarantees that the mysterious drone sightings across New Jersey will continue unsolved throughout the rest of the year.

The legislation was presented by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. It aimed to give federal agencies the authority to act on sighted drones, as well as opened a pilot program allowing state and local authorities to intercept and even seize UAVs without operator consent. Schumer also recommended that the US Department of Homeland involve modern drone tracking technology to help solve the mystery and potentially unmask the drone’s operators.

“The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they’re not getting good enough answers,” Schumer expressed. “The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can’t respond all on their own."

Schumer sought unanimous approval on the floor, putting a rapid halt to the startling number of drone reports. However, his hopes were quickly crushed on the floor by Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul.

Paul claimed that the bill would “expand federal authority to intercept communications and disrupt drone activity — powers that raise serious concerns for Americans’ privacy, civil liberties, and Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure.”

The FBI has received upwards of 5,000 tips in the last several weeks, though many have been weeded out due to repeat sightings or being chalked down to mistaking an aircraft for a drone. Federal authorities have assured the public over and over again that the drones present no threat to national security, but their statements remain without foundation since no one seems to who’s responsible.

"The federal government just doesn't have the ability to go to every corner in America and see whether the drones are safe or not safe," Schumer continued.

FMI: www.schumer.senate.gov