President Donald Trump is ramping up pressure for Republicans to “unify” behind a clean, 18-month extension of a key spy power — making a last minute plea to GOP holdouts refusing to bend without certain amendments.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump echoed past calls to House Republicans urging them to “UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote” for a bill reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which contains a controversial provision that allows for warrantless surveillance of non-U.S. citizens and has divided lawmakers over privacy concerns.
A procedural vote teeing up final passage for a FISA extension was scheduled for Wednesday. House leaders postponed it, but Republicans are still hopeful it can still be held later Wednesday. The spy authority, which has for years triggered fights on Capitol Hill, has concerned some lawmakers for creating a backdoor that allows the government to also search Americans’ data.
Trump asked the GOP “stick together when this Bill comes before the House Rules Committee” as several Republicans raised concerns about the bill’s surveillance powers and sought to amend sections of FISA containing a loophole that allows intelligence agencies to collect warrantless information from third-party brokers with data from phone apps and web activity.
“Passing a clean Section 702 reauthorization without any reforms to protect the Fourth Amendment right to privacy would be a major disservice to the American people,” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. “We live in a digital age, and cell phones are now extensions of our homes; they store our personal conversations, location data, banking information, and health records. Our personal devices deserve the same constitutional protections as our homes.”
Trump said he’s been working with Speaker Mike Johnson, House Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to pass a clean extension through the House ahead of the April 20 expiration date.
House GOP leaders have backed the White House’s request of a clean extension.
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