Republican colleagues of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Los Angeles) dealt him another blow Wednesday by defeating a motion to allow a vote on his proposed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization.
On Wednesday, 19 House Republicans sided with Democrats and voted 228-193 to break that rule.
Prime Minister Johnson called on House Republicans to “reconvene” Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET as he seeks to extend FISA authorization with several reforms before the April 19 deadline.
The House has finished voting this week, giving Republicans time to resolve their differences. But the future of reauthorization in the House remains uncertain.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had hoped to reverse the measure on Wednesday before turning to next week’s major action: a yet-to-be-disclosed funding proposal for Ukraine.
The embattled chair must decide what will happen to the revised schedule. The House of Representatives just came out of a two-week recess and is scheduled to adjourn again on Thursday, April 18, and for another week.
After the vote, Prime Minister Johnson insisted that FISA authorization should not be allowed to lapse. The program’s authorization will soon expire, but most surveillance activities can continue for up to a year.
The fight over the inclusion of a measure that would require federal agents to obtain warrants to continue surveillance of Americans caught in the surveillance of foreign nationals will continue to be a contentious issue. Johnson’s bill does not include such a measure, but he appears to have agreed to a revised vote on the issue.
An amendment to include a warrant requirement would likely pass easily, but some Republicans who voted against the rules on Wednesday called for including a warrant requirement in the underlying bill before allowing the bill to be considered. may be claimed.
Mr Johnson could avoid a rules vote by suspending the rules. That would require two-thirds support, but would allow a direct vote for or against passage. This hurdle is likely to be unreachable and will almost certainly result in a motion to stand down, potentially ending Mr Johnson’s chairmanship.
Donald Trump’s opposition to reauthorization likely contributed to Wednesday’s outcome. In a post on Truth Social Tuesday night, he called on the House to “kill” FISA, saying, “It was used illegally against me and many others. They spied on my campaign. !!!”
The Biden administration and the intelligence community have made warrantless FISA reauthorization a top priority, and it is unlikely to be reauthorized as fighting continues and intensifies.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
