Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s Stance on FISA Section 702 Extension
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida mentioned in an interview that she would only support a full extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) if the SAVE America Act is part of the deal. She emphasized her belief that “voter ID is national security.”
As Congress nears the April 20 deadline for reauthorizing Section 702, both the White House and House Republican leaders are trying to gather conservative support for an 18-month extension of this surveillance authority.
Section 702 is designed primarily for monitoring foreign adversaries, but it also allows for the warrantless surveillance of Americans’ private communications, which raises concerns about Fourth Amendment rights.
A recent vote to expand these surveillance powers did not succeed, as Luna and some conservatives expressed their reluctance to extend these authority without significant reforms. Privacy advocates are calling for changes, such as warrant requirements to access Americans’ private data and restrictions preventing law enforcement from buying personal information from third-party data brokers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson previously stated that now, as Speaker, he prefers the need for a warrant, asserting that warrant requirements are not feasible.
Luna clarified that she wouldn’t back the extension of Section 702 unless the SAVE America Act, which mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration and requires voter ID to cast a ballot, is included in the legislation.
She stated, “The only way I would consider voting for FISA is if it had the SAVE America Act attached to it. There are a lot of people who oppose it, and that’s just not acceptable. There’s a lot of dysfunction in the Senate, and they need to handle this—it’s the only way I’ll cast my vote. If not, it’ll likely go nowhere once it reaches the House.”
Supporters of a straightforward extension argue that the prior reauthorization, known as the Intelligence Service and Security for America Act (RISAA), already included many reforms, making additional changes unnecessary. However, Luna disagrees with this viewpoint.
She referred to reports indicating a 35 percent surge in FBI searches of U.S. citizens from December 2024 to November 2025, showing an increase from 5,518 to 7,413 searches.
Privacy advocates contend that Section 702 endangers civil liberties and is not particularly effective in countering terrorism.
Patrick Eddington, a former CIA analyst and current policy analyst at the Cato Institute, questioned the notion that removing these tools would hinder the detection of terrorist threats, arguing, “You can’t rely on mass electronic surveillance if you want to catch spies or win wars.”
Eddington further emphasized that effective intelligence work requires precise, targeted information rather than broad surveillance.
In May 2025, Luna proposed dismantling what she referred to as the Deep State’s surveillance tools by getting rid of the Patriot Act.
She firmly stated that “voter ID is national security” and believes that if the SAVE America Act is included in the FISA bill, it would create an opportunity for the House and Senate to negotiate on election integrity reforms.
Luna concluded by reiterating her stance, claiming, “Voter ID is national security. It’s linked to FISA. No matter what others think, that’s my position, and I know I have support among fellow Republicans. Ultimately, even if I end up pushing back against FISA, I believe the House should work with the Senate on this.”
