On Friday, the House approved the renewal of the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act after multiple failed attempts and a push by former President Donald Trump to block the bill. The approval comes after Trump incorrectly suggested that Section 702 of the bill was used to spy on his campaign. The House voted 273-147, with 88 Republicans and 59 Democrats voting against the legislation, which reauthorizes the ability of intelligence agencies to monitor foreign citizens abroad believed to be threats to national security.
Despite Trump’s efforts to block the bill, some conservatives and progressives also opposed it, arguing that intelligence agencies should be required to obtain a warrant for their queries, particularly when communications of U.S. citizens are involved. The bill was initially set to reauthorize Section 702 for five years, but a revised version was passed with a two-year renewal in order to appease conservative critics. This shorter timeline would allow for a potential reevaluation of the legislation if Trump were to be reelected to a second term.
Trump’s claims that the legislation was used to improperly spy on his campaign stem from a misunderstanding of the FISA law. The Department of Justice found that the FBI obtained warrants to spy on a former campaign aide under a different section of FISA, Title I. The revised bill includes new measures aimed at preventing FISA abuse, such as additional reporting requirements on queries made under the legislation and the requirement for sign-off from an FBI supervisor or staff attorney to query a U.S. citizen in the database.
The 19 Republicans who initially voted against advancing the legislation earlier in the week changed their votes under the two-year renewal, possibly to revisit the bill under a potential second Trump administration. Despite the bipartisan support for the bill, the passage of the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act renewal highlights the ongoing debate over the balance between national security interests and civil liberties in the context of surveillance programs. With the bill set to expire on April 19, its approval in the House marks a significant step in ensuring that intelligence agencies can continue to monitor threats to national security abroad.
