The House rejected legislation on Thursday that would have extended a cornerstone of U.S. intelligence gathering, pushing the government closer to a lapse in a contested surveillance authority that expires this weekend.
The measure failed to secure the votes required for passage, marking a significant defeat for supporters of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The provision has long been a lightning rod in Congress, drawing fire from both privacy advocates on the left and civil liberties conservatives on the right who argue it grants the government too much power to monitor communications.
With the Saturday deadline now effectively certain to arrive without a renewal in place, intelligence officials have warned of potential gaps in their ability to conduct foreign surveillance operations. The clock has run out on last-minute negotiations to revive or modify the extension.
The House vote leaves the ball in Congress's court to either craft a new compromise or allow the authority to expire entirely. Some lawmakers have signaled they may push for a narrower version of the law that includes additional privacy protections, though time is now working against any quick legislative fix.
Section 702 permits the National Security Agency and FBI to target foreign suspects without a warrant, though civil liberties groups have long contended the dragnet routinely sweeps up communications from Americans. The debate over its renewal has intensified in recent years as privacy concerns have gained traction on Capitol Hill.
The failed vote underscores deep disagreements within Congress over how to balance national security needs against constitutional protections, a tension that has only sharpened as the expiration date arrived.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The House just handed intelligence agencies a weekend they weren't expecting, and nobody's got a plan B ready to go."
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