House Speaker John Boehner hailed a series of proposed NSA reforms that could ease President Barack Obama's expected proposals through Congress.
The Capitol's top Republican praised a bipartisan proposal that would end the government's bulk collection of meta-data — a key reform Obama is expected to embrace later this week when his administration formally unveils its own proposals.
"I've long said these programs exist to save American lives, and they have," Boehner said. "And while there are some valid privacy concerns, it would be irresponsible to end these programs before we have a credible alternative."
"I expect that part of this effort will include the end of the government holding onto bulk data," Boehner added.
Boehner's comments represent a significant accession to to heart of Obama's expected reforms. Though a number of details could still split lawmakers, Boehner's remarks represent signs of hope that the president's NSA reforms could work their way through Congress without encountering too much familiar gridlock.