The state's five members of Congress often vote as a block but the delegation was split over last week's vote to reauthorize several provisions of the controversial Patriot Act.
Reps. John Larson, Rosa DeLauro and Jim Himes all voted against the measure, while Reps. Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney voted in favor. (The three provisions -- which give the government the ability to use roving wiretaps to monitor suspects; obtain business and library records and other personal information and follow non-citizens who have not previously been identified as terrorist suspects -- were approved by a vote of 279 to 143.)
The vote extends those provisions for 90 days but even many of those who voted in favor said the Patriot Act needs to be fixed to address the concerns raised by civil libertarians and privacy rights advocates about the reach and powers of the government. The temporary extension granted Thursday just delays an inevitable showdown on the issue of balancing national security with individual liberties.