T he USA Patriot Act is much more than an abstract political debate in Washington. It is an essential part of the United States’ effort to prosecute the war on terror in tangible, measurable ways. The House of Representatives has voted to reauthorize the provisions of the Patriot Act that are leading to real results in the war, but unfortunately, on Friday, a minority of senators blocked the reauthorization.

The Patriot Act is a critical law enforcement tool in the war on terror, and we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment.

Because of the Patriot Act, law enforcement and intelligence personnel were able to work together effectively to dismantle the “Portland Seven” terror cell. Members of this cell attempted to travel to Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and aid the Taliban and al-Qaida fighting the United States and coalition forces.

Through an undercover informant, law enforcement learned that at least one member of the group had contemplated attacking Jewish schools and synagogues and even cased targets for such an attack. By the time investigators learned this, they knew the group was dangerous but still lacked sufficient evidence to make arrests. Prosecutors faced a dilemma – they could arrest the cell member and possibly prevent a terrorist attack, but that would risk tipping off other members of the cell.

The Patriot Act provided the way out of this dilemma. It clarified that the FBI could conduct surveillance of cell members and keep prosecutors informed as new information developed. With FBI surveillance continuing, prosecutors held off arresting the cell member while continuing its investigation into other possible suspects. Evidence was gathered and prosecutors were able to secure additional convictions. Without the Patriot Act, the “Portland Seven” would likely have been the “Portland One.”

The Patriot Act also allowed prosecutors and investigators to work together successfully in the “Virginia Jihad” case. The case involved members of an Islamic center who trained for jihad in Northern Virginia by participating in paramilitary training. This training included eight individuals who traveled to terrorist training camps in Pakistan or Afghanistan between 1999 and 2001 and were associates of a violent Islamic extremist group with ties to al-Qaida.

Patriot Act provisions made clear that information could be shared with prosecutors that allowed them to bring charges against these individuals. Six defendants pleaded guilty, and three more were convicted of charges that included conspiracy to wage war against the United States and provide material support to the Taliban.

Broader information-sharing made possible by the Patriot Act was essential to the prosecution of two men in San Diego involved in a terrorist drugs-for-weapons plot. The two defendants admitted to conspiring to distribute drugs from Pakistan to undercover U.S. law enforcement officers. As partial payment for the drugs, the two sought four Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which they then intended to sell to the Taliban. Both men are in jail on felony charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to distribute drugs.

Since it was passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities and signed by the president four years ago, the Patriot Act has given law enforcement the tools necessary to dismantle terrorist cells, disrupt terrorist plots and capture terrorists before they strike. If the Senate does not act today, many of the act’s most important provisions will expire at the end of this month. But the terrorist threat we face will not expire on that schedule.

The Patriot Act has been one of the most debated measures on Capitol Hill this year. Members of Congress have heard from 60 witnesses in 23 hearings. Extensive oversight has demonstrated conclusively that the act has played a vital role in the war on terror, and there has never been a single verified abuse under the act.

Together in conference, the House and Senate produced a bill that would reauthorize every single expiring provision of the Patriot Act – making 14 of the 16 provisions permanent – while bolstering the act’s privacy and civil liberties protections with dozens of new safeguards. On Wednesday of last week, the House of Representatives passed the reauthorization bill on a bipartisan basis. Now it is the Senate’s turn to act. The senators who are filibustering must stop their obstructionist tactics, and the Senate must vote to reauthorize the Patriot Act.

America cannot allow its most vital counterterrorism tools to expire. We cannot go back to the days before Sept. 11, 2001, when our terrorism investigators could not talk to one another and did not have many of the tools available in other investigations.

The Patriot Act has led to real successes in the war on terror as law enforcement breaks up real threats in our midst. By strengthening law enforcement’s capabilities, the Patriot Act enhances America’s homeland security, and Republicans and Democrats alike need to support its reauthorization.