A key U.S.surveillance program is on the brink of expiring after House Democrats and a group of conservatives sank a temporary extension amid a standoff over President Donald Trump's intelligence chief pick. Lawmakers voted 198-218 on Thursday to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for three weeks, falling well short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.The measure, meant to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term renewal, faced an uphill battle amid widespread Democratic opposition.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned he would withhold support for extending the program until Trump reversed his decision to name Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., put the bill on the floor via suspension of the rules, a fast-track procedure that requires a higher threshold to secure passage.House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, speaks to members of the media before a swearing-in ceremony at the U.S.Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2026.
(Tierney L.Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONSReps.
Jared Golden, D-Maine, Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., were among the 7 Democrats to support extending the program through July 2.Meanwhile, 19 Republicans, who were skeptical of a clean reauthorization of Section 702 without greater privacy guardrails, joined the majority of Democrats in voting down the measure.The failed vote was a notable setback for Trump, who urged lawmakers to reauthorize the program ahead of the June 12 deadline with no modifications.Democrats and some Republicans have argued that Pulte, a Trump insider and senior housing official, is unqualified for the top intelligence post.Trump has largely defended and refused to bow to Democrats' demands.His comments Wednesday that he is actively looking ...