{"id":2612866,"date":"2026-06-10T09:13:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-congress-can-rush-to-save-fisa-then-it-can-pass-the-save-act-to-protect-americas-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:16:12","slug":"if-congress-can-rush-to-save-fisa-then-it-can-pass-the-save-act-to-protect-americas-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-congress-can-rush-to-save-fisa-then-it-can-pass-the-save-act-to-protect-americas-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuccinelli: Attach SAVE Act To FISA Renewal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/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%2Fif-congress-can-rush-to-save-fisa-then-it-can-pass-the-save-act-to-protect-americas-elections%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=2612866&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 says Congress is rushing to reauthorize FISA Section 702 before it expires at midnight Friday, with allies of the surveillance program warning of \u201cdevastating\u201d consequences if the renewal fails. Simultaneously occurring, it argues that lawmakers are also looking for a way to attach the SAVE America act-an election-integrity package requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register and photo ID to vote-to the FISA \u201cmust-pass\u201d legislation so it can advance despite Senate resistance.<\/p>\n<p>The article claims Senate Democrats are using procedural tactics (described as a \u201czombie filibuster\u201d) and that Republican leaders are said to lack the votes to force a talking filibuster.It also reports that while the House voted to renew Section 702 with bipartisan support, Cuccinelli and others want Republicans to use FISA leverage to \u201chold the Senate hostage\u201d by refusing to pass FISA without the SAVE Act.The author further notes political crossfire involving President Trump\u2019s appointment of Bill Pulte as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newly-declassified-docs-reveal-trump-impeachment-whistleblower-was-a-democrat-crony\/\" title=\"Docs Show Impeachment &#039;Whistleblower&#039; Was A Democrat Crony\">acting national intelligence director<\/a>, which the article says some Senate Democrats and a few Republicans used as part of their opposition to extending the surveillance tool.<\/p>\n<p>it portrays the SAVE Act as having been rejected even when Republicans tried to pair it with an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >immigration-enforcement reconciliation bill<\/a>, calling that outcome \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trump-jr-blast-ny-ag-letitia-james-for-political-persecution-this-is-banana-republic-stuff\/\" title=\"..., ... Jr. Blast NY AG Letitia James For \u2018Political Persecution\u2019: \u2018This Is Banana Republic Stuff\u2019\">banana republic stuff<\/a>,\u201d and urges voters to contact their representatives to demand the SAVE Act be attached to the Section 702 renewal.  <\/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<div>\n<p>Oh, the panic is rising on Capitol Hill. <\/p>\n<p>Congress has just three days to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/06\/08\/congress\/fisa-section-702-deadline-trump-pulte-00953150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201csave\u201d FISA<\/a> (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), so sayeth the proponents of the surveillance state. <\/p>\n<p>More specifically, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intel.gov\/foreign-intelligence-surveillance-act\/fisa-section-702\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Section 702<\/a> of FISA is set to die at midnight Friday. While opponents of the congressional license to spy on Americans would gladly dance on Section 702\u2019s grave, some say the so-called \u201cmust-pass\u201d legislation could save the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/16\/exclusive-chip-roy-lays-out-how-senate-can-vote-on-save-act-without-nuking-filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SAVE America Act<\/a> \u2014 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conservatives-are-driving-out-rinos-from-the-senate\/\" title=\"Conservatives Are Driving Out RINOs From The ... Temple\">critical election integrity package<\/a> that most Americans love and Democrats loathe. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/electiontransparency.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Election Transparency Initiative,<\/a> a national advocate for election integrity, is calling on Congress to attach the legislation to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/what-is-fisa-section-702-us-surveillance-law-set-expire-june-12-2026-06-09\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FISA Reauthorization<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>Congress says FISA protects America\u2019s security. The SAVE Act protects America\u2019s elections. Congress is moving one because it says the stakes are too high to ignore. The same standard should apply to the other,\u201d Ken Cuccinelli, National Chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, said Tuesday in a press release. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Hold the Senate Hostage\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The SAVE Act, which requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot in a U.S. election, has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/thune-has-tried-nothing-to-pass-the-save-act-and-hes-all-out-of-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hit a wall<\/a> in the Senate after Republicans passed it multiple times in the House. Senate Democrats, who recoil from election integrity like vampires from sunlight, have the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenRickScott\/status\/2018837482402377808\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zombie filibuster<\/a> to keep the bill from moving to a vote without the burden of debate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/13\/john-failure-is-not-an-option-thune-just-failed-election-integrity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insists<\/a> he doesn\u2019t have the votes in his conference to attempt a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/17\/what-the-wall-street-journal-gets-wrong-about-the-talking-filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">talking filibuster<\/a>, which would force Democrats to continuously debate the legislation to keep it from reaching a simple-majority vote. <\/p>\n<p>But, as Cuccinelli notes, there are a lot of Republicans and Democrats who are enamored of the surveillance state. They ache over the idea that the intelligence community will lose its sweeping ability to spy on Americans. They see renewing Section 702 of FISA an absolute must-pass. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMust-pass really doesn\u2019t mean it must pass, but congress feels like it must pass,\u201d Cuccinelli, the former attorney general of Virginia, told me Tuesday in an interview on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/426-the-vicki-mckenna-show-27246267\/episode\/vicki-mckenna-show-who-is-worthy-of-life-with-guest-host-matt-kittle-336413038\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Vicki McKenna Show<\/em><\/a>. \u201cAnd you can fully expect congress to try to rush through this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have warned of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judiciary.senate.gov\/press\/rep\/releases\/icymi-rubio-and-hegseth-warn-of-devastating-fisa-expiration-call-on-democrats-to-support-bipartisan-cotton-grassley-reauthorization-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cdevastating\u201d<\/a> consequences if Congress fails to pass the FISA reauthorization. In late April, the House overwhelmingly voted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/house-fisa-spy-program-budget-resolution-dhs-shutdown-ice-farm-bill-rcna342730\">(235-191)<\/a> to renew Section 702, with 42 Democrats voting with Republicans. <\/p>\n<p>Cuccinelli said the House needs to \u201chold the Senate hostage,\u201d to decline to pass FISA without the SAVE America Act. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet them all freak out,\u201d he said. \u201cWe went three weeks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eff.org\/deeplinks\/2020\/04\/yes-section-215-expired-now-what\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">without FISA<\/a> coverage in 2015.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>But Democrats are already throwing a hissy fit over President Donald Trump\u2019s appointment of <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5917420-trump-pulte-intelligence-chief\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill Pulte,<\/a> head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting national intelligence director. Senate Dems and seven Republicans last week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/06\/05\/senate-balks-extending-controversial-fisa-surveillance-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocked<\/a> an extension of the surveillance tool, with outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., calling on Trump to remove Pulte.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLetting FISA lapse would reflect a nation paralyzed by hyper-partisanship and dysfunction. POTUS can help by canceling plans to put <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/bill-pulte\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill Pulte<\/a> as Acting DNI,\u201d Bacon wrote on X, apparently not seeing the nakedly partisan efforts by Democrats to nix a Trump pick. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FISA gives us over 50% of our most sensitive intelligence and has enabled the U.S. to stop multiple terrorist attacks. Letting FISA lapse would reflect a nation paralyzed by hyper-partisanship and dysfunction. POTUS can help by canceling plans to put Bill Pulte as Acting DNI. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ImKlWg2T6r\">https:\/\/t.co\/ImKlWg2T6r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Don Bacon \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u2708\ufe0f\ud83c\udfcd\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\ud83c\udf96\ufe0f (@RepDonBacon) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepDonBacon\/status\/2063956995778937346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Banana Republic Stuff\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Senate Republicans attempted to attach the SAVE America Act to the <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/5916028-republican-bill-funds-ice-border\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reconciliation bill<\/a> that will fully fund federal immigration law enforcement. Four Republicans \u2014 Sens. <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/susan-collins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Susan Collins<\/a>, Maine, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mitch McConnell<\/a>, Ky., <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/lisa-murkowski\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lisa Murkowski<\/a>, Alaska, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/thom-tillis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thom Tillis<\/a>, N.C. \u2014 voted with Democrats to kill the election integrity amendment. <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&#8217;ve obtained Sen. Thom Tillis&#8217;s Monday email to his GOP colleagues. In it, he complains about the DOJ&#8217;s anti-weaponization fund, whines about the SAVE America Act &#038; President Trump&#8217;s constant push for it, and attacks Sen. Tommy Tuberville for calling out Republicans by name.\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Vince Coglianese (@VinceCoglianese) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VinceCoglianese\/status\/2064451551872299455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cVoter ID is the most popular thing out there,\u201d Sen. Josh Hawley <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/5914534-save-america-act-fails-senate-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> Fox News Digital. \u201cThere\u2019s reason for that. People want their elections to be safe, they want them to be fair. And to me, you can\u2019t explain it to me, why you wouldn\u2019t vote for voter ID. I just don\u2019t understand it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s actually pretty easy to understand. Election integrity costs Democrats elections. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/09\/california-allows-late-ballots-with-no-postmark-thats-an-invitation-to-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a> has eschewed photo ID, clean voter rolls and basic identification standards on its ubiquitous mail-in ballots. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/09\/kristen-welkers-delusional-defense-of-brazen-california-election-is-why-everyone-hates-the-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a> is effectively a one-party state, showing off why that is in the suspect Los Angeles mayoral race in particular. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is Banana Republic stuff,\u201d Cuccinelli said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re watching South American nations running elections much more smoothly than California, with much more reliability. And that should embarrass every American. It would be nice if it embarrassed every Californian enough to fix it, but not yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Exhibit A why the Senate must do whatever it can to put the SAVE America Act on Trump\u2019s desk. The intelligence community\u2019s sacred cow of extended surveillance power could be the vehicle, Cuccinelli said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do know how Congress has treated FISA in the past, like some holy relic that must be handed down,\u201d he said. \u201cHow about we get our holy relic?\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Cuccinelli urged voters to call their members of congress and demand they attach the SAVE America Act to Section 702 renewal. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-knew-100-percent-he-was-fighting-for-the-little-guy-former-top-trump-economic-adviser\/\" title=\"... Knew \u2018100 Percent\u2019 He Was \u2018Fighting for the Little Guy\u2019: Former Top ... Economic Adviser\">award-winning investigative reporter<\/a> and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Panic mounts on Capitol Hill as Congress has just three days to \u201csave\u201d FISA, with Section 702 due to expire Friday night. Supporters of surveillance warn of dire consequences, while some argue the must-pass FISA bill could also carry the SAVE America Act-an election integrity package requiring proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote. The measure faces a Senate hurdle amid Democratic resistance and filibuster tactics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2612867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-09-at-10.02.01-PM-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38845,3813,50611,5894,14429],"class_list":["post-2612866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-civil-liberties","tag-immigration","tag-national-security-2","tag-politics","tag-surveillance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-09-at-10.02.01-PM-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612866","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\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612866"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612870,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612866\/revisions\/2612870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}