House punts on FISA, extends spy powers program for two weeks
The House’s effort would extend the program until April 30.
House Republicans early Friday passed a short extension of key government spy powers after GOP infighting tanked a longer renewal sought by President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson.
The House agreed by unanimous consent to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, until April 30. Earlier in the morning GOP hard-liners tanked attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewals.
The measure now heads to the Senate, which faces a tight deadline before the program expires Monday. As of Friday morning, most senators had left Washington for the weekend.
“We were very close tonight. There’s some nuances with the language, and some questions need to be answered, and we’ll get it done,” Johnson told reporters after the vote series. “The extension allows us the time to do that.”
“We were very close tonight. There’s some nuances with the language, and some questions need to be answered, and we’ll get it done,” Johnson told reporters after the vote series. “The extension allows us the time to do that.”
The vote’s failure illustrates the growing likelihood that GOP leaders and Trump must allow lawmakers to either pass a shorter extension or make further changes to the legislation in exchange. Trump administration officials have been arguing in conversations with lawmakers that the country is at war and the national security program is paramount amid threats from Iran, according to five people involved in the conversations.
Twenty conservatives voted against the procedural step early Friday morning amid concerns the underlying bill doesn’t sufficiently protect the privacy of U.S. citizens, whose information can get swept up in warrantless probes of foreigners allowed by the program.
Republicans who voted against advancing the legislation include: Reps. Tim Burchett, Eric Burlison, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Andy Harris, Mark Harris, Scott Perry, Ralph Norman, Thomas Massie, Keith Self, Andy Ogles, Warren Davidson, Diana Harshbarger, Mary Miller, Paul Gosar, John Rose, Lauren Boebert, Victoria Spartz, Sheri Biggs and Eli Crane.
Four Democrats crossed party lines to vote with the bulk of Republicans.
Some Republican members were livid that Johnson’s proposal earlier in the evening also didn’t include any ban on a central bank digital currency, which had been in negotiations, according to one person granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.
The proposed text included some new provisions aiming to protect U.S. citizens’ privacy.
“There are significant changes here,” Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said from the House floor defending the language.
But the language focused on preventing the targeting of U.S. citizens and largely codified existing law. Its inclusion was one of the options leadership had been debating but which had disappointed privacy hawks. The surveillance law can already not be used to intentionally target Americans.
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