NPR
House extends surveillance powers for 10 days
+125 words added -107 words removed
Eric McDaniel
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and fellow Republicans celebrate GOP tax policies at an event outside the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. J.
The tool allows U.S. intelligence agencies to intercept the electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside of the United States.
Like past reauthorizations, FISA 702's renewal has sparked a protracted debate on Capitol Hill over if and how the tool should be modified.
Some of the nearly 350,000 targets whose communications are collected under FISA 702 authority are in touch with Americans, whose calls, texts and emails could end up in the trove of information available to the federal government for review.
For almost two decades, privacy-minded lawmakers from both parties have sought to reform the program to require specific court approval before federal law enforcement or intelligence agents are allowed to review an American's information.
The intelligence community has argued that would inhibit the efficacy of the tool and endanger national security.
The fight over those changes — responsible for weeks of turmoil in the House — ultimately resulted in limited modifications that failed to satisfy privacy hawks.
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− Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
The House on Friday voted by unanimous consent to extend a controversial surveillance program until April 30.
+ Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Congress has voted to extend a controversial surveillance program until April 30.
− Earlier in the morning GOP leaders had pushed for either a five-year renewal or the 18-month renewal President Trump had demanded, but both votes tanked.
+ The extension, which first passed overnight in the House, came after GOP leaders failed to secure a five-year renewal, as well as an 18-month renewal President Trump had demanded. Both votes tanked.
− The stop-gap measure was pushed through and Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was set to expire Monday, now heads to the Senate.
+ That left a stop-gap measure for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was set to expire Monday. The Senate approved the extension by a voice vote Friday morning.
− If FISA 702 is allowed to lapse, intelligence collection could continue but would likely be subject to lawsuits from the technology and telecommunications communications who are compelled to provide the communications to the government.
+ If lawmakers are unable to reach a compromise by April 30 and FISA 702 is allowed to lapse, intelligence collection could continue but would likely be subject to lawsuits from the technology and telecommunications communications who are compelled to provide the communications to the government.