Washington deadlock lets key US surveillance law lapse | JQJO

Washington, United States – Congress allowed a central U.S. surveillance authority to lapse after the House of Representatives failed late last week to pass a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The measure, which permits intelligence agencies to intercept foreign communications without a court warrant, fell 198–218, leaving one of the pillars of American national security policy in an operational limbo. The defeat came after Republican leaders tried to use a fast-track procedure that required a two-thirds majority for passage, but the strategy backfired when 19 Republican members broke ranks and joined a unified Democratic bloc opposed to the extension.

Democrats in the House and Senate said their resistance stemmed from President Donald Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte, a major Republican donor and current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence. They argued that the choice violated the statutory requirement that the Director of National Intelligence possess extensive national security experience and warned that the administration could use sensitive databases to target political opponents. The deadlock has prompted the chairmen of the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees to warn Secretary of State Marco Rubio about a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection, even as officials debate how existing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court certifications and statutory provisions affect the legality of ongoing surveillance. The administration continues to press for the confirmation of Jay Clayton as permanent director, while the controversy over Pulte’s acting role remains the main obstacle to a bipartisan resolution.