politics
US Congress Passes 45-Day Extension for FISA Section 702
The U.S. Congress approved a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on April 30, 2026, allowing warrantless surveillance to continue until June 12, 2026. The measure followed the rejection of a longer-term reauthorization and marks the second short-term extension in April 2026. Lawmakers aim to negotiate reforms during the extension period.
Apr 30, 3:11 PM·3m read18 sources
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U.S. House of Representatives passed a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in a 261-111 vote on April 30, 2026, with 94 Democrats and 167 Republicans voting in favor. The Senate had approved the measure by unanimous consent earlier that day.
U.S. intelligence agencies' Section 702 authorities extended until June 12, 2026. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump for signature. The extension did not incorporate proposed reforms to Section 702 sought by some Republicans and Democrats.
This vote marks the second short-term extension of Section 702 in April 2026. Congress previously passed a 10-day stopgap measure extending Section 702 on April 17, 2026, after it was set to lapse on April 20, 2026. The Senate rejected a bipartisan House proposal for a three-year reauthorization of Section 702 on April 30, 2026.
The rejected House bill included language banning the Federal Reserve from establishing a central bank digital currency. Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the central bank digital currency ban a 'poison pill' on April 30, 2026. Sen.
Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, received assurance from Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Mark Warner of Virginia on April 30, 2026, that they would send a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to declassify a recent FISA court decision.
The FISA Court issued a ruling on March 17, 2026, raising concerns about filtering tools used by the FBI, NSA, and other agencies for Section 702 data.
The declassification review of the March 17, 2026 FISA Court ruling is expected to be completed and released publicly within 15 days. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was first enacted in 2008. U.S.
