Editing Operation TIPS (section)

== Attempted passage ==
Both Congressional Representative [[Dick Armey]] ([[United States Republican Party|Republican]], [[Texas]]) and Senator [[Patrick Leahy]] ([[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]], [[Vermont]]) raised concerns. Senator Leahy said that it was similar to [[J. Edgar Hoover]]'s misuse of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] during the 1960s when Hoover hired citizens to spy on neighbors who were political protesters. Rep. Armey included legislation in the House's Homeland Security Bill that explicitly prohibited the creation of Operation TIPS; but [[Joe Lieberman]] blocked the program's removal from the Senate version of the bill. The Senate, however, essentially passed the House version that eliminated the program.<ref name="villagevoice.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-12-17/news/the-death-of-operation-tips/1|title=The Death of Operation TIPS|author=Nat Hentoff|date=17 December 2002|work=Village Voice}}</ref>

Operation TIPS was officially cancelled when the [[Homeland Security Act]] was passed by Congress in November 2002. Section 880 explicitly prohibited the program.<ref name="villagevoice.com"/>