On this day: September 26

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2001 • neutral • 27 views

Congress Passes USA PATRIOT Act Amid Post-9/11 Security Surge

A Capitol Hill scene showing the U.S. Capitol building with American flags and somber early-2000s atmosphere; no identifiable faces.

In the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Congress moved rapidly to enact the USA PATRIOT Act, expanding government surveillance and intelligence-gathering authorities in the name of counterterrorism while prompting ongoing legal and civil liberties debates.

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2001 • neutral • 35 views

Congress Enacts Patriot Act as Nation Reels from Sept. 11 Attacks

United States Capitol building exterior on a clear day in late September 2001, with flags at half-staff; people and vehicles on nearby streets.

On Sept. 26, 2001, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, expanding federal surveillance and law-enforcement authorities amid urgent calls to prevent further attacks and concerns about civil liberties.

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