House Passes FISA Renewal on Fourth Attempt, Excludes Warrant Mandate for US Data

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News)—The House of Representatives approved a bill to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), extending federal surveillance on foreign targets until 2026. The legislation passed without the warrant requirement that some lawmakers had pushed for to protect the privacy of Americans whose data may be incidentally collected during those operations.

The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act was approved with a vote of 273-147 on Friday, receiving support from 126 Republicans and 147 Democrats for reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Lawmakers who opposed Friday’s bill contended that the FBI and other agencies should be required to obtain a warrant to search communications between foreign targets and U.S. persons found in the Section 702 database.

FISA has drawn objections from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, with critics arguing that it infringes on Americans’ constitutional right to privacy. In the past five months, House Republicans, defying their party leadership, have blocked the bill three times.

National security hawks and the intelligence community have hailed it as an essential measure to prevent attacks similar to those on 9/11.

However, following revelations of FBI agents misusing their access to query information on Americans in the Section 702 database, critics from both conservative and progressive sides have been advocating for restrictions on its use.

An amendment by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) that would have required warrants failed in a 212-212 tie when House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) cast the tiebreaker vote.

The amended bill shortens the reauthorization period for Section 702 from five years to two years. FISA was scheduled to expire on April 19.

The FISA reauthorization is likely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Biden.

Latest Worthy News