In Congress

Congress Votes To Extend FBI Warrantless Surveillance Tool Without Reforming It

Congress voted Thursday to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) with no reforms as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.

Section 702 of FISA is a tool that intelligence officials have allegedly abused as it enables them to surveil Americans without obtaining a warrant. After the Senate passed FISA through the NDAA on Wednesday and failed to get sufficient support to eliminate the four-month extension, the House of Representatives finalized it in a vote on Thursday.

If six Republican senators had opposed a point of order against the NDAA on Wednesday, then FISA would not have passed, potentially expiring at the end of December. FISA’s Section 702 allows intelligence agencies to gather incidental data on Americans while targeting foreign individuals, generating concern over improper spying on U.S. citizens.

The provision will now be extended through April. Having cleared Congress, the NDAA’s last step will be to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Two bills to reform FISA had been anticipated to come to the House floor for a competing vote on Tuesday, but Republicans fought over it, causing a cancellation late on Monday, The New York Times reported. As a result, FISA is passing with no reform and the bills probably will not receive a vote until 2024.

The House Judiciary Committee introduced one of them — Republican Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs’ Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act (PLEWSA) — that would limit the government’s power under Section 702 by mandating a warrant for almost all searches of Americans, according to its text.

Conversely, the House Intelligence Committee has put forward a bill dubbed the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023, that would change the definition of “electronic service communications provider” to contain ‘‘equipment that is being or may be used to transmit or store such communications.’’ This would consist of any entity or business that provides an internet connection, thereby massively increasing domestic surveillance authorities under FISA, according to experts.

Privacy advocates support PLEWSA while former national security officials support the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org

Jason Cohen

Share
Published by
Jason Cohen
Tags: FISA

Recent Posts

President Donald Trump’s Schedule for Sunday, December 14, 2025

Schedule Summary: President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at two White House Christmas receptions on…

15 hours ago

Kamala Harris Floats ‘Honest’ Reality Check Of Trump Economy, Seemingly Forgetting Biden Admin’s Affordability Crisis

Former Vice President Kamala Harris attempted to dunk on President Donald Trump’s economy Friday, while…

16 hours ago

Trump Admin Says Blue States That Let Illegals Drive ‘Lethal Weapons’ Will Miss Out On Millions Of Tax Money

Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday threatened to withhold tens of millions…

17 hours ago

Two American Servicemen, Interpreter Killed In Syrian Attack, Pentagon Announces

Two U.S. Army soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed in a Saturday attack…

17 hours ago

Biden Legacy Imperiled As Presidential Library Project Reportedly Plagued By Anemic Fundraising

Efforts to enshrine former President Joe Biden’s time in office with a presidential library have…

17 hours ago

Stephen Miller Says Somali Fraud Scandal Could Create Unprecedented Milestone In US History

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller told Fox News host Laura…

23 hours ago