House punts Trump spy powers extension after conservatives block deal, forcing end-of-month showdown

President Donald Trump’s push to extend the government’s controversial warrantless surveillance powers suffered a minor setback early Friday morning after a group of conservative lawmakers rejected a compromise deal that would have extended the program for five years while incorporating some minor reforms intended to appease GOP privacy hawks.Shortly before 2 a.m.Friday, the House of Representatives approved a two-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), giving lawmakers until April 30 to reach a deal.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voiced confidence that his conference can come to an agreement by the end of the month.“We were very close tonight.

There’s some nuances with the language and some questions that need to be answered and we’ll get it done.The extension allows us the time to do that,” he said.The short-term FISA extension came together after House GOP leadership was forced to scrap an initial 18-month extension of the program due to opposition from conservatives, who want more privacy guardrails added to the program.GOP privacy hawks also shot down a compromise agreement that would have extended the surveillance law until 2031 while adding more stringent criminal penalties for violations of FISA searches.The Section 702 authority allows the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad even when those communications involve Americans.

Both conservatives and progressives have pushed for a requirement that would force officials to obtain a warrant before reviewing Americans’ data.House GOP leadership had been racing this week to renew the surveillance law before the April 20 deadline.When their desired approach ran into conservative opposition on the House floor, they settled for a two-week extension.The Senate could pass the short-term extension by unanimous consent as early as Friday.“What we’re trying to do is thread the needle of ensuring that we have this essential tool to keep Americ...