A bill to update the federal government’s key surveillance tools passed the House of Representatives on Friday, setting the stage for a vote in the Senate about a week before the deadline expires.
A revised version of the original bill passed a procedural hurdle late Thursday after a group of 19 conservative privacy hardliners killed House Republicans’ chances of passing it earlier this week.
The bill aims to amend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to monitor foreign nationals suspected of having ties to terrorism overseas without a warrant. Section 702 allows the FBI to collect the communications of a narrow list of foreign targets, even if the recipient of the suspect’s communications is American.
House Committee Sets Vote to Expand FISA Section 702 for Two Years
Chairman Mike Johnson is leading the update to FISA Section 702. (Getty Images)
The fight over its renewal has put Mr Johnson in a difficult position among privacy and national security hawks in the chamber, and it is unclear how he will navigate his razor-thin majority of just two seats. .
National security hawks and members of the intelligence community say this is a key tool to prevent another 9/11-style attack. But critics, including both conservatives and progressives, are seeking to limit its scope after reports of abuses to collect data on Americans.
To that end, the House Judiciary Committee supported an amendment that would require a warrant to query Americans’ data collected in the Section 702 system. Opponents of the measure say it critically hampers intelligence agencies’ ability to quickly detect serious threats, and it would force police to obtain a warrant before attaching a license plate during a traffic stop. claims to be equivalent.
There was tension in the House on Friday as the amendment was considered, which ultimately failed by a vote of 212-212. Mr Johnson cast a critical and potentially decisive vote on the amendment.
An unusual political scene unfolded as members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus cheered on progressive lawmakers who voted in favor of the amendment.
House Republicans slam conservatives who opposed FISA update bill as ‘crywolves’
Rep. Chip Roy was one of 19 conservative privacy hardliners who voted down the bill earlier this week.
The Information Reform and American Security (RISA) Act is a compromise between the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees aimed at narrowing who has access to collected communications and criminalizing the misuse of that data. It’s a proposal.
But conservatives who voted to block the bill Wednesday said it doesn’t do enough to protect Americans’ data. Many were also angered by the exclusion of an amendment by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) that would have forced the federal government to request a warrant before purchasing Americans’ data from third parties. Ta.
House sinks under Trump’s pressure to renew FISA in favor of Johnson
Opponents of the amendment argued that it had nothing to do with Section 702 and would eliminate the bill’s chance of passing in the Senate.
They also support former President Donald Trump, who declared on Truth Social Wednesday morning that he would “kill FISA” and push back on the RISA bill.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump spoke out against the RISA Act earlier this week. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
House Republican leaders assuaged conservative concerns by promising a solo vote on the Davidson amendment, but the timing remains unclear.
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The revised law also reduces the Section 702 reauthorization period from five years to two years.
That would give the incoming administration, likely the Trump or Biden White House, an opportunity to reform this tool early in the next presidential term.
