U.S. House rejects adding warrants for spies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Friday rejected adding a warrant requirement to a key U.S. government surveillance tool, turning aside a proposal that was strongly opposed by the White House and national security leaders.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson brought forward the revised proposal, which would reform and extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702 for a shortened period of two years, instead of the full five-year reauthorization first proposed. Johnson hoped that the shorter timeline would sway GOP critics by pushing any future debate on the issue to the presidency of Donald Trump if he were to win back the White House in November.

A separate provision, ending warrantless surveillance of Americans, was also offered on the floor Friday but despite gaining support from strange bedfellows from the far-right and far-left, the measure ultimately failed to get a majority of the votes required to pass the House. The bill now goes to the Senate where its future is uncertain. The program is set to expire on April 19 unless Congress acts.

Skepticism of the government’s spy powers has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly on the right. Republicans have clashed for months over what a legislative overhaul of the FISA surveillance program should look like, creating divisions that spilled onto the House floor this week as 19 Republicans broke with their party to prevent the bill from coming up for a vote.

However, the revised proposal with a shortened timeline helped flip some conservative opposition to the legislation.

“The two-year timeframe is a much better landing spot because it gives us two years to see if any of this works rather than kicking it out five years,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said Thursday. “They say these reforms are going to work. Well, I guess we’ll find out.”