Congress on Thursday extended a controversial provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in a defense bill.
MAGA Republicans are raging over GOP lawmakers aiding the passage of a provision of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that may allow the FBI to „spy“ on Americans.
The NDAA, which typically sees bipartisan support, passed in the House by a vote of 310 to 118 on Thursday. While the $886 billion bill was notably approved without the inclusion of several culture war amendments that many hard-right Republicans had demanded, it did include the temporary reauthorization of a controversial provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Section 702 allows federal law enforcement to listen in on the communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant, including some „incidental“ communications involving Americans. It had been set to expire at the end of this year. The reauthorization extends the provision for four months, setting up a potential congressional showdown over a long-term solution next year.
While a selection of lawmakers from across the political spectrum have opposed Section 702 over concerns of privacy and potential abuses of power, a number of MAGA Republicans railed against reauthorization of the measure due to the FBI having surveilled a Trump 2016 campaign aide using unrelated FISA warrants. Trump himself signed Section 702 into law in January 2018, calling it „vital to keeping the Nation safe.
