{"id":2579774,"date":"2026-03-14T07:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spy-powers-at-risk-as-trump-and-gop-eye-leverage-for-save-act\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T07:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:46:00","slug":"spy-powers-at-risk-as-trump-and-gop-eye-leverage-for-save-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spy-powers-at-risk-as-trump-and-gop-eye-leverage-for-save-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Spy powers at risk as Trump and GOP eye leverage for SAVE Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fspy-powers-at-risk-as-trump-and-gop-eye-leverage-for-save-act%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579774&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the piece describes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/compromise-hard-to-come-by-in-historic-supreme-court-abortion-showdown\/\" title=\"Compromise Hard To Come By in Historic Supreme Court Abortion Showdown\">high-stakes clash<\/a> over renewing the government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >foreign surveillance powers<\/a> (FISA, including Section 702), which expire on April 20. Lawmakers are debating whether to attach the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) to the renewal; the SAVE act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot. President Donald Trump and House conservatives want to use FISA leverage to push the voting bill, but Republicans and Democrats warn that linking the two could derail a bipartisan, clean extension of spy powers.<\/p>\n<p>Key players include Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who argues for a straightforward extension without tying in the voting measure; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who says the two issues should stand on their own merits; and Sen. Mike Thune (R-SD), who plans a mock \u201ctalking filibuster\u201d to calm tensions while resisting a rule-bypassing move. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is pushing to attach SAVE Act, drawing criticism from conservatives who call such moves political theater. The debate occurs against the backdrop of the Iran war and concerns about domestic threats, with lawmakers pressed to act quickly as the deadline looms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Government&rsquo;s power to surveil foreign threats at risk over SAVE Act fight<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2529660\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Fears of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/national-security\/4489155\/trump-location-iranian-sleeper-cells-us\/\">domestic Iranian terrorist cells<\/a> may not be enough to get a clean extension for the federal government&rsquo;s foreign spy powers that expire next month, as President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> and House conservatives complicate the path forward for congressional leaders.<\/p>\n<p>A push to attach the GOP&rsquo;s voter ID and citizenship bill &mdash; the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act &mdash; to a measure reauthorizing Section 702 of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\/\">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a> is threatening to upend the tenuous process that requires bipartisanship and is receiving a chilly reception in the Republican Senate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4490544\/james-talarico-seminary-social-justice\/\">James Talarico trained at seminary that teaches social justice activism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4478060\/trump-tariffs-threaten-gop-2026-election-chances\/\">Trump tariffs threaten GOP 2026 election chances<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4490687\/joe-manchin-john-cornyn-deeply-disappointing-flip-senate-filibuster\/\">Joe Manchin hits John Cornyn over &#8216;deeply disappointing&#8217; flip-flop on Senate filibuster<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Even Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" id=\"965\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX), who now supports weakening the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/filibuster\/\" id=\"1708\">filibuster<\/a> to pass the SAVE Act amid a messy GOP primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, feels the two should remain separate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They each ought to stand on their own merits,&rdquo; Cornyn told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mark-warner\/\" id=\"1352\">Mark Warner<\/a> (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called a clean spy powers extension &ldquo;the only way forward,&rdquo; warning that attaching Trump&rsquo;s marquee voting bill would tank reauthorization for Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This incredibly valuable tool would disappear when our country&rsquo;s in the middle of a war,&rdquo; Warner told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t make any sense.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of non-citizens overseas and was last reupped in 2024, lapses April 20 and is coming under a spotlight amid the Iran war and warnings of domestic terrorist cells ready to inflict revenge attacks. The House is expected to take action on FISA in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>But with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\" id=\"514\">Republican Party<\/a> in disarray over the Senate&rsquo;s 60-vote threshold blocking the House-passed SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot, Trump and House conservatives want the GOP Congress to use FISA as leverage.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For those people that like FISA, I said, &lsquo;Maybe you put them together,&rsquo; because a lot of people feel very strongly about FISA,&rdquo; Trump told House Republicans during their recent South Florida retreat. &ldquo;Some people don&rsquo;t, but the people that want it, they really want it, and generally, for whatever reason, they&rsquo;re opposed to what we&rsquo;re saying about the ballots and about citizenship and all of those things. So, put them together, and you might get a vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he arrives to speak at the Republican Members Issues Conference, Monday, March 9, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Florida. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anna-paulina-luna\/\" id=\"11243\">Anna Paulina Luna<\/a> (R-FL) didn&rsquo;t vote for the previous FISA reauthorization in 2024, but she&rsquo;s insistent on attaching the SAVE Act. Her vocal provocation could snowball into a bigger problem for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who have signaled they prefer a clean extension of spy powers. But Thune is facing fierce backlash for resisting pressure from the Make America Great Again coalition to skirt the traditional filibuster with a &ldquo;talking filibuster&rdquo; to pass the SAVE Act.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;SAVE AMERICA ACT MUST BE ATTACHED TO IT. UNTIL THIS IS DONE, I AM A NO ON THE BILL AND THE RULE, AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE!&rdquo; Luna tweeted on Friday. &ldquo;We gave Thune plenty of time to do the right thing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Thune is planning a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4489775\/thune-plans-mock-talking-filibuster-save-america-act\/\">marathon debate on the voting bill<\/a> next week that won&rsquo;t result in its passage, but is a process the GOP leader hopes will ease tensions in the party. He&rsquo;s repeatedly ruled out skirting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-manchin-considering-proposal-to-lower-60-vote-filibuster-threshold\/\" title=\"Joe Manchin Considering Proposal To Lower 60-Vote ... Threshold\">60-vote filibuster threshold<\/a> over a lack of Republican support.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative hardliners have blasted the plan. Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepKeithSelf\/status\/2032141162715222198\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepKeithSelf\/status\/2032141162715222198\">called<\/a> it &ldquo;laughable&rdquo; and &ldquo;gaslighting the American people,&rdquo; and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chiproytx\/status\/2032156363002880025\">labeled<\/a> it &ldquo;performance theater.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers will have just a few working days in mid-April after returning from a two-week Easter recess before the spy powers authorization will expire on April 20.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4489775\/thune-plans-mock-talking-filibuster-save-america-act\/\">THUNE PLANS MOCK &lsquo;TALKING FILIBUSTER&rsquo; TO CALM SAVE AMERICA ACT UPROAR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>GOP senators, all of whom support the SAVE Act but are divided over whether to embrace a talking filibuster, still predict a stand-alone FISA extension will prevail.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think the House will keep the two of them separate,&rdquo; Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;They understand that this is going to take a bipartisan effort to get FISA across the finish line.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FISA powers at risk as SAVE Act fight stalls extension<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2579775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26068783117201_677bb8.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6203,72683,75793,14429,3634],"class_list":["post-2579774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-gop","tag-save-act-2","tag-spy-powers","tag-surveillance","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26068783117201_677bb8.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2579778,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579774\/revisions\/2579778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2579775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}