President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Republicans to “stick together” on a key procedural vote tied to the future of U.S. surveillance powers, wading directly into a high-stakes fight over the government’s intelligence authorities.
In a Truth Social post, Trump urged Republicans to “UNIFY, and vote together to on the test vote” related to a bill that would reauthorize a controversial part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act called Section 702, which is set to expire on April 20. That section allows for warrantless wiretaps of non-U.S. citizens.
Trump added that he’s working with House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to get a clean extension through the House.
The procedural vote, typically a routine step, has taken on outsize importance as divisions within the Republican conference threaten to derail leadership’s plans. A bloc of conservatives has pushed for stricter limits on surveillance powers, while national security hawks warn that failure to advance the measure could jeopardize intelligence operations. The House Rules Committee will meet Tuesday afternoon to tee up floor consideration of the Section 702 extension. GOP leaders are hoping to vote on the reauthorization Wednesday ahead of the deadline next week.
Trump, however, signaled little appetite for internal dissent, framing unity as essential to preserving what he described as critical “spy capabilities” needed to monitor foreign threats. He also emphasized that recent reforms to the program should remain in place.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine warned lawmakers in a letter Monday that the authority is “critical” to intelligence operations, underscoring the stakes if Congress fails to act.
“The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely important to our Military. I have spoken to many Generals about this, and they consider it VITAL,” the president added. “Not one said, even tacitly, that they can do without it — especially right now with our brilliant Military Operation in Iran.
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