On Friday, the House voted in favor of reauthorizing a vital U.S. spy program that is widely regarded as essential for national security.
Lawmakers have voted to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through 2026 in a 273 to 147 vote. This renewal comes as the previous expiration date of April 19 approached.
The bill will not be immediately sent to the Senate.
After the FISA bill was passed by the House, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., voiced her objection to its passage. Luna made a request for a vote on the motion to reconsider the legislation. As a result, the FISA bill cannot proceed to the Senate at this time. The House will first need to vote on tabling the motion to reconsider the vote, which is scheduled for next week.
Section 702 grants the U.S. government the authority to gather electronic communications of non-Americans situated outside the country without the need for a warrant. This provision has faced scrutiny from lawmakers across the political spectrum and civil liberties organizations due to its potential for inadvertently collecting data on Americans who interact with the individuals under surveillance.
The amendment to include a warrant requirement for accessing data from Americans was narrowly rejected in a vote of 212 to 212.
The far-right Republicans and progressive Democrats both backed the measure, claiming that it was crucial for safeguarding the privacy of Americans. On the other hand, the White House and intelligence officials cautioned that implementing such a requirement would severely hamper the program and result in the United States being left “blind” to the intelligence used for identifying terrorist threats and other potential risks to national security.
The FISA reauthorization faced uncertainty earlier this week when it encountered opposition from hard-line Republicans, causing a routine procedural vote on the matter to fail. However, it ultimately passed with strong bipartisan support.
On Wednesday, party leadership faced a setback when 19 Republican hard-liners voted against their own party. This unexpected turn of events was prompted by former President Donald Trump’s last-minute intervention. Taking to his social media platform, Trump expressed his strong opposition to the issue, stating, “KILL FISA.”
After facing a setback, House Republicans gathered on Wednesday evening and Thursday to regroup. Despite the setback, they didn’t lose hope and continued their efforts. On Thursday night, the House Rules Committee voted 8-4 to advance the FISA bill, showing their determination to push forward.
The bill was modified to address concerns raised by conservative hard-liners. As a result, the reauthorization of the FISA program was shortened to two years instead of the original five years.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, expressed his belief that the adjustment would be a victory for President Trump if he wins the upcoming election in November.
On Thursday, Gaetz expressed his gratitude for the positive response to some of our requests.
“We’ve just granted President Trump an opportunity to take action. If the previous version of this bill had passed, it would have delayed reauthorization until after his presidency. Now, President Trump has the chance to address the system that has harmed him more than any other American,” he remarked.
According to Virginia Representative Bob Good, the reduction of the time frame from five years to two years is a positive development.
Rep. Michael Burgess, a Republican from Texas, emphasized the importance of reevaluating the legislation to ensure its effectiveness within the shorter timeframe of the next Congress.
According to Gaetz, Johnson has assured him that the House will vote on a privacy bill from Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio next week. Gaetz stated that he has been given “absolute assurance” regarding this matter.
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise confidently predicted that the vote would pass, highlighting it as a significant victory for Johnson. Over the past six months, Johnson has faced challenges in leading the party’s right flank. One of the ongoing threats to his speakership comes from Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene.
Scalise emphasized the importance of moving forward and urged the Senate to fulfill their responsibilities regarding FISA.