White House urges Congress to pass clean FISA extension
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President Trump speaks to the media after disembarking from Air Force One on April 12. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The White House is urging Congress to pass a clean extension of the nation's warrantless spy authority in a new statement of administration policy first obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faces an uphill battle to get a clean reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed in the House.
- Members of both parties are deeply opposed to FISA, and hardline conservatives are threatening to sink the bill.
- GOP leaders are eyeing a Wednesday vote and will likely need White House help to push it across the finish line.
- FISA will lapse April 20 without congressional action.
Driving the news: The administration and GOP leadership have been working to win over holdouts, including inviting skeptical members to classified briefings, Axios previously reported.
- "We must remain vigilant to keep the American people safe. This cannot be accomplished without the reauthorization of Section 702," the Office of Management and Budget wrote in the memo.
- The memo argues the "Biden border crisis," drug cartels, and cyber actors targeting critical infrastructure have created new domestic security risks.
- The administration also pointed to reforms made in the last reauthorization to reassure skeptics.
Flashback: President Trump told lawmakers to "KILL FISA" during the reauthorization debate in 2024.
- But the president's reversal on the issue has brought some GOP lawmakers who were previously skeptical, like House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), on board.
State of play: Opposition to FISA spans both parties, and some conservative Republicans are threatening to tank a key procedural vote.
- Johnson can only lose two of his members on the rule vote, which typically falls along party lines.
- Conservatives are demanding the inclusion of warrant requirements, which Johnson has said would make FISA "unworkable."
- The speaker has stressed that FISA is a vital national security tool, telling reporters last month "it's not something to play around with."
At the same time, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is demanding that the SAVE America Act, the GOP's signature elections bill, be attached to FISA.
- Attaching the SAVE Act would render the bill dead on the arrival in the Senate, where it needs Democratic support.
Catch up quick: Pressure has been building on Johnson to muscle the measure through his chamber.
- He had a heated exchange before recess with Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Luna over their opposition, Axios previously reported.
- Johnson warned Luna she could bear responsibility for "thousands of American deaths" if FISA is not reauthorized.
