Senate talks on three-week FISA 702 extension face objections

Negotiations over a three-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are facing objections in the Senate. The provision, which authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign targets, is set to expire Friday. Efforts to advance the extension until July 2 were rejected by Democrats unless the appointment of an acting director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is rescinded.

Senators said they would support a short-term extension only if the current Senate-confirmed deputy leads the office during that period.

Extension conditions The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee stated that support for any extension would require the law to be followed regarding the acting director. The senator added that the administration would need to keep the current deputy in the role to maintain the surveillance authority.

Another Democratic senator said an extension would be a non-starter as long as the acting director position remains with the appointee from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The senator noted that a professional acting director is already in place.

The deputy was confirmed by the Senate last July in a 51-46 vote. The administration initially named the deputy as acting director before designating the Federal Housing Finance Agency head to the role without Senate confirmation.