Congress Approves 45-Day Extension for Section 702 Surveillance Program

U.S. m. Friday. U.S.

Intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance on foreigners. Senators approved the bill unanimously in the afternoon, followed by a 261-111 House vote where 94 Democrats joined 167 Republicans in favor. The bill now heads to President Trump's desk for signature.

Congress had previously passed another short-term extension of the expiring surveillance law, pushing back an initial April 20 deadline by 10 days shortly before it lapsed. Both chambers agreed to that adjustment to prevent the authority from expiring. The House passed a separate three-year extension of the Section 702 surveillance law on Wednesday.

That bill included a provision banning a central bank digital currency, added by House leaders to address concerns from conservative members opposing the extension without reforms. U.S. citizens' communications collected incidentally in foreign surveillance.

Senator Ron Wyden secured an agreement to seek declassification of a recent intelligence court ruling about the FISA Section 702 program. Wyden stated that a secret FISA court opinion revealing abuses would be declassified. The New York Times reported this development alongside the short-term extension.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said, 'We have done our job. The Senate needs to do theirs,' after the House action. Johnson also noted, 'This is our last legislative day,' and added that he 'will have a jailbreak' if the issue isn't resolved before the end of the day.

In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune called the ban on a central bank digital currency a 'poison pill,' indicating it would prevent Senate passage of the three-year extension. The Trump administration and members of both parties in Congress have described Section 702 as a key national security tool, warning that its lapse would hinder intelligence efforts on global threats.