Trump calls on Republicans to pass clean extension of FISA
– Former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to back a clean 18-month extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702, arguing it is vital for national security and the ability to quickly stop threats, including in the Iran context.
– Congressional GOP leaders have been working to pass the clean extension, but speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote to mid-April due to opposition from hard-line Republicans who want reforms to surveillance and voter-integrity provisions.
– Some Republicans, including Reps. keith Self and Lauren Boebert, oppose a clean extension unless it includes national voter ID measures, while Rep. Anna Paulina luna has tied her support to such provisions.
– Johnson said the U.S. has not experienced the abuses seen in the past and emphasized that the law has been reformed; discussions have touched on whether a future extension should include a warrant requirement, noting a 2024 two-year extension with major reforms.
– The piece places the debate in the broader security context, referencing Trump’s past calls to reform or repeal FISA and the ongoing discussions about how surveillance powers should be reauthorized amid international tensions.
Trump calls on Republicans to pass clean extension of government spy powers
President Donald Trump on Wednesday implored Republicans to pass a clean extension of warrantless government surveillance powers amid the war in Iran.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that it is more “important than ever” that the U.S. remains vigilant and maintains its “ability to quickly stop bad actors seeking to cause harm to our People and our Country.”
“The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our Military,” Trump said. “I have spoken to many Generals about this, and they consider it vital.”
Congressional GOP leaders have been working to pass a clean, 18-month reauthorization of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless wiretapping of non-citizens overseas.
However, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was forced last week to delay an expected vote on renewing the spy powers to mid-April due to opposition from hard-line Republicans who want to see reforms to warrantless surveillance and the inclusion of voter integrity measures.
Both Reps. Keith Self (R-TX) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) have been vocally opposed to passing a clean extension of the spy powers. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), meanwhile, has pledged to oppose the legislation unless national voter ID legislation is attached.
Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. does not “have the abuses that we had before” when asked if the extension will include a warrant requirement, which was also pushed for in 2024, when Congress approved a two-year extension of the program with expanded restrictions on surveillance.
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“The president of the United States has called for a short-term, clean extension, 18 months,” Johnson said. “We want to continue to refine and amend the law, if necessary, to protect constitutional freedom … FISA as currently constituted, as we amended with 56 major reforms, is working as desired, and we do not have the abuses we did before.”
Trump, who in 2024 called for Congress to “KILL FISA,” echoed Johnson, saying that the extension must include the “Critical and Common Sense Reforms that were made in the last Reauthorization of FISA.”
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