US intelligence communitys foreign spying powers expire after lawmakers reject FISA extension

The US intelligence community’s warrantless surveillance powers expired Friday night, one day after House lawmakers – including 19 Republicans – rejected a short-term extension of the program. The three-week extension of the government’s spying authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), failed a House vote Thursday amid concerns over President Trump’s appointment of federal housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence and the potential abuse of the program — setting the stage for its expiration at 11:59 p.m.Friday. It’s unclear when congressional lawmakers will look to revive the program.

House members began a scheduled 10-day recess at the end of Thursday.The law enables the US government to surveil non-Americans abroad without first going before a judge to get a warrant.However, that surveillance often sweeps up communications of American citizens in the process.The controversial spy power was reformed in 2024, but some critics want additional changes.The program has been credited with providing the US with intelligence used to kill al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022 and thwart a terrorist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Austria in 2024. The lapse is not expected to immediately impact the ability of the US to gather foreign intelligence. The government can still obtain warrants to conduct electronic surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court certified in March that Section 702 powers could remain in effect for another year.“Everything that’s already been authorized and certified is already in motion, and current FISA authorizations will continue unaffected, at least through March 17, 2027,” House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said earlier this week, arguing that “government surveillance activities will continue unchanged” after Friday. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), however, said ...