The Senate passed a controversial extension of the federal government’s warrantless spying powers just after a midnight deadline on Friday over objections from Democrats and Republicans who opposed the incidental collection of US citizens’ data as part of the authority.
The Senate passed a controversial extension of the federal government’s warrantless spying powers just after a midnight deadline on Friday over objections from Democrats and Republicans who opposed the incidental collection of US citizens’ data as part of the authority.
In a 60-34 vote, Democrats and Republicans voted to reauthorize Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until 2026, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk for a signature.
The White House issued a statement in strong support of the legislation, called the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, before it passed the House last week in a 273-147 bipartisan vote.
The FISA authority was set to expire on April 19, which proponents had warned would end critical intelligence-gathering efforts through a provision known as Section 702.
Initially enacted in 2008, the national security provision permits US intelligence agencies to surveil communications and other data emitted by foreigners with potential ties to terrorism.
But in sweeping up that information from US service providers like Google and AT&T, critics point out that any Americans’ communications may also be obtained without a warrant.
Senators from both parties submitted amendments to address that loophole and others, but each was voted down on a bipartisan basis. Intelligence Committee chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) nevertheless agreed to work through some of their concerns in subsequent legislation.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) rejected criticisms of the intelligence program, pointing to 56 reforms included in the reauthorization bill passed by the House that would prevent abuses by the FBI in querying the Section 702 database for Americans’ data.
