In a major turnaround, the House passed a two-year reauthorization of a controversial program that allows the government to collect the communications of targeted foreigners abroad without warrants.
The fate of the bill, which would extend a provision of law known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was unclear until just before it passed, as lawmakers considered a series of proposed changes.
The House narrowly rejected a bipartisan effort to restrict searches of Americans’ messages swept up by the program, a top priority for some civil liberties advocates.
The shorter time frame could allow Donald Trump to help dictate the program’s future if he is elected to another term.
The former president had urged Republicans to “kill” the law, which he incorrectly asserted had been used to spy on his campaign.
Persons:
Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, “
Organizations:
Senate, Foreign Intelligence, Republicans