After Attorney General Eric Holder clarified that President Barack Obama doesn't have the authority to dispatch unmanned drones to kill non-threatening U.S. citizens on American soil, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are seeking to put those restrictions into federal law.
In a bill introduced on Thursday, Cruz and Paul define "drone" as "an unmanned aircraft" and determine that the "prohibition under this subsection shall not apply to an individual who poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to another individual."
(Read the entire text of the bill below.)
Cruz unveiled the bill Thursday after Paul concluded a lengthy filibuster on the confirmation of CIA director nominee John Brennan, in part over concerns about government's use of drones. Paul eventually allowed a vote on Brennan's confirmation, and while he ultimately voted against it, Brennan was confirmed and sworn in on Friday.
As Politico reports, the duo will seek to attach the measure to the continuing resolution, a congressional spending bill that would fund the government through the end of September and prevent a shutdown.
A Bill to Prohibit the Use of Drones to Kill Citizens of the United States Within the United States by