Contact lenses are medical devices and soft contacts tend to be packaged in small sterilised containers filled with fluid, which over time (hence the expiration date) can become contaminated.
Privacy advocates who oppose the USA Freedom Act consider the bill to squander the unique legislative opportunity afforded by Section 215's expiration.
Obama and his intelligence chief, James Clapper, also made a final push on Friday for the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act, alleging the expiration of the Patriot Act provisions would expose the US to terrorism.
"Any departure from this carefully crafted compromise will undoubtedly reduce support for it in the House and prolong the expiration of these intelligence tools, and I urge the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act as is and without any further delay," Schiff said on Monday.
A memo sent on Wednesday by the administration warned that the NSA could find itself in legal jeopardy if it continued surveillance on Americans' phone data after Thursday – what the Justice Department described as a prudential matter ahead of the looming expiration of the base legal authority for the program.
But the aide, who requested anonymity in order to discuss a swiftly moving process, said the Senate has no time to convince the House to do anything else on surveillance: "The House will be gone by lunchtime tomorrow," with lawmakers rushing to airports to return to their constituents for a legislative holiday that will last until after the scheduled expiration of Section 215.
Supporters revived it using the leverage of imminent expiration of a broader surveillance authority.
It is the case that – as David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, points out – the "expiration" age of athletes is a little higher than thought.
Rand Paul indicated his intention on Friday to filibuster a surveillance reform bill that he considers insufficient, as privacy advocates felt momentum to tear the heart out of the Bush-era Patriot Act as its Snowden-era expiration date approaches.
The White House has long backed passage of the USA Freedom Act, calling it the only available mechanism to save the Patriot Act powers ahead of expiration now that the House has recessed until Monday.
They prefer a flat expiration of Section 215, a broad Patriot Act provision authorizing vast law enforcement powers to acquire business records, which will happen on 1 June absent explicit congressional revival.
