House passes FISA renewal without added warrant mandate for US data

A bill to renew a key federal government surveillance tool, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), passed the House of Representatives on Friday, about a week before it is set to expire.

However, House Freedom Caucus conservatives and their allies have blocked the bill from heading to the Senate. Moments after its passage, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., raised a procedural measure to reconsider the vote.

Now, the House must vote on whether to reconsider passage of Section 702 on Monday, shortening the Senate's timeline to consider the bill before its expiry on April 19.

HOUSE COMMITTEE SETS UP VOTE TO EXPAND SECTION 702 OF FISA FOR 2 YEARS

A modified version of the original bill passed a procedural hurdle late on Thursday after a group of 19 conservative privacy hawks sunk the House GOP's chance at passing it earlier this week.

The legislation is aimed at reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to surveil foreigners abroad with suspected terror links without a warrant. Section 702 allows the FBI to collect communications of a narrow list of foreign targets, even if the person at the other end of the suspect's communications is an American.

The battle over its renewal has put Johnson in a tough spot between privacy and national security hawks within his conference, while he also navigates a razor-thin majority of just two seats.

National security hawks and members of the intelligence community have called it a critical tool for preventing another 9/11-style attack. However, critics, including both conservatives and progressives, have been seeking to limit its scope after reported instances of abuse to collect data on Americans.

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