FISA 702 spy powers set to expire after House vote fails over Pulte backlash

House Republicans on Thursday failed to get enough votes from Democrats to secure a short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless spy powers, with the lower chamber leaving for a scheduled recess the day before they are set to expire.

The bill would have extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through July 2. Democrats, however, refused to back the reauthorization due to objections to President Trump installing BIll Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence (DNI).

The vote failed 198-218, with seven Democrats voting in favor of the short-term extension and 19 Republicans voting against it.

The failure, as well as the House leaving town for a scheduled week-long recess amid the partisan gridlock, leaves Section 702 poised to expire — putting the country in a legal grey area as to whether it can continue surveillance of foreign targets.

Asked after the vote if he would bring the House back from recess to vote on FISA again, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) asked, “What would be the point?”“We passed a three-year extension on April 29. It is sitting in the hopper over there as a live bill. Just now, I attempted to pass a short term extension for three weeks, clean extension, no changes to the law, just to make sure that the people are not subjected to great harm, and the Democrats — 199 of them — voted against it and applauded themselves as they left the building,” Johnson said. “What would be the point of me going through this exercise over and over? The House has done every single thing.“

Johnson needed a two-thirds vote to pass the legislation under a fast-track........

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