The chairs of the House and Senate intelligence committees are praising President Barack Obama's speech laying out changes to U.S. spying programs. But they're questioning whether Obama's proposal to end the government's control of phone data is necessary.
In a joint statement, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Rep. Mike Rogers say they agree the records program is critical. They say their committees are working to add safeguards while keeping the data where it is.
They're also expressing concern about Obama's plan to require a secret court's approval before the records are accessed. They say the process must be made faster.
The two lawmakers have strongly defended the NSA in the past. They're urging Obama to send Congress legislation with his proposed changes so that lawmakers can debate them.
