Housing Finance Agency Director to Keep Dual Role as Intelligence Bill Renewal Stalls

The director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency will continue serving in that role and as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, officials stated Tuesday evening. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is scheduled to expire at midnight Thursday.

The provision permits intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets overseas without a warrant and can incidentally capture data on Americans.

Jeffries said the selection turned renewal into a deal-breaker for Democrats. "The negotiations prior to Trump’s announcement with respect to Bill Pulte were already in a very sensitive place," Jeffries told reporters Monday. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the appointment makes a bipartisan agreement much harder to reach.

Johnson met with officials at the White House on Tuesday and described the discussion as productive. He said Congress cannot let the authority go dark. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he is encouraging officials to nominate a permanent director of national intelligence for Senate confirmation.

Some Republicans have argued that a short lapse would not harm national security and that reforms such as a warrant requirement for data on Americans should be considered. "FISA isn’t going dark. We have the law. We have precedent from 2008. Don’t fall for the scare tactics," Rep.

Keith Self said Tuesday on X.