US House Extends Warrantless Surveillance Law Short-Term

House Extends Surveillance Powers Until April 30 After Late-Night Revolt Sinks GOP Plan The House of Representatives has approved a short-term extension of a controversial surveillance program used by U.S. Intelligence agencies, voting to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until April 30. The action came in a post-midnight session on Friday after Republicans revolted and refused President Donald Trump’s push for a longer extension. Earlier in the day, GOP leaders had pushed for either a five-year renewal or the 18-month renewal sought by President Trump, but both proposals failed to gain sufficient support. The stop-gap measure was ultimately passed by unanimous consent, sending the issue to the Senate for further consideration. Section 702 allows U.S. Intelligence agencies to intercept the electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside the United States. Even as the program does not target Americans directly, some of the nearly 350,000 individuals whose communications are collected under this authority are in contact with persons in the U.S., raising concerns about incidental collection of American data. For almost two decades, privacy-minded lawmakers from both parties have advocated for reforms requiring specific court approval before federal officials can review an American’s information collected under FISA 702. The intelligence community has argued that such requirements would hinder the program’s effectiveness and compromise national security. The debate over potential modifications to FISA 702 has caused weeks of turmoil in the House, culminating in the recent votes that rejected longer-term extensions. The limited modifications that emerged from negotiations failed to satisfy privacy advocates, who continue to push for stronger safeguards. The extension until April 30 provides Congress with additional time to negotiate a longer-term reauthorization of the surveillance tool, which was set to expire on Monday. The Senate will now consider the House-passed measure as lawmakers work to balance national security needs with civil liberties protections.