The United States of America's National Security Agency, which is under fire for its data-collection programs, was asked by Senator Bernie Sanders if it is also spying on congress. The agency didn't give an answer except for a vague statement saying the House of Representatives is just like everyone else.

"NSA's authorities to collect signals intelligence data include procedures that protect the privacy of U.S. persons. Such protections are built into and cut across the entire process. Members of Congress have the same privacy protections as all U.S. persons," said the agency in a statement obtained by CNN.

Sen. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, asked the agency if top officials also became the subject of NSA's spying programs and the agency response is perceived to be a "yes."

According to the statement, the term spying the Congress is more like "gathering metadata on calls made from official or personal phones, content from websites visited or e-mails sent, or collecting any other data from a third party not made available to the general public in the regular course of business."

NSA also assured that everything they do will be of the knowledge of the Congress.

"We will continue to work to ensure that all Members of Congress, including Sen. Sanders, have information about NSA's mission, authorities, and programs to fully inform the discharge of their duties," read the statement.

The spying programs is one of the biggest controversy that agency is facing today, with some officials asking for it to be dropped. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky) is even suing the White House because he believes that the data-collecting program is depriving the Americans of their right to privacy.

"We want them to protect the fourth amendment. We want them to protect the right to privacy," he said.

"We think we can have security, that we can defend against terrorism, but that doesn't mean that every single American has to give up their privacy."