The House rejected a three-week extension of a foreign surveillance law that expires Friday as Democrats protest President Trump’s pick to temporarily lead the U.S. intelligence community.
The failed 198-218 vote all but guarantees the key spy authority will go dark. The House adjourned for a congressional recess soon after the vote and is not scheduled to return to Washington until June 23.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorizes the warrantless collection of targeted foreign intelligence information to help combat terrorist plots.
“I pray that we do not have a serious calamity on our shores over the next few weeks,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after the vote.
The Louisiana Republican condemned Democrats for applauding when the bill failed, saying “that video is going to live in infamy” because of their “shameful” and “dangerous” behavior allowing FISA Section 702 to sunset.
“The reason we have not had a mass casualty event like 9/11 since that great tragedy is because we have this statute,” Mr. Johnson said.
If Congress does not renew the law, U.S. communications companies are unlikely to hand over foreign targets’ phone calls, emails and text messages without a warrant.
Information gathered from Section 702 is a large part of the daily presidential intelligence briefing that guides key national security decisions.
“FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday in a social media post requesting a short-term extension of the law.
Democrats are nearly universally refusing to renew Section 702 unless the president reverses his appointment of William J. Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence.
Mr. Trump has refused to do so, saying Mr. Pulte will step into the position on June 19 until he nominates a permanent DNI and the Senate confirms that person to the role.
Congress had reached a bipartisan deal to reauthorize Section 702 for three years with changes designed to combat abuse of the spy authority.
It was expected to have at least enough support to pass both chambers before Mr. Trump announced he was tapping Mr. Pulte as acting DNI upon Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation.
“We were on the cusp,” Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said of the three-year reauthorization.
“If Donald Trump were really an evil genius, he would have allowed us to reauthorize 702 and then appointed Bill Pulte. He could have done it all,” he said. “Now, I would have lit myself on fire over Bill Pulte nonetheless, but it was almost like deliberate vandalism.”
Democrats argue Mr. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is unqualified to even temporarily lead the U.S. intelligence community.
They also say he poses a threat to national security because he has shown a willingness to use sensitive information to target Mr. Trump’s political enemies.
“He’s deeply unqualified, deeply unserious and deeply dangerous,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat.
He told reporters after all but seven members of his party blocked the three-week Section 702 extension that House and Senate Democrats are united in demanding that Mr. Trump reverse his decision to elevate Mr. Pulte as acting DNI.
The president said in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he will not give in to Democrats’ demands and advised Republicans in Congress to stand strong.
“We can’t let them extort us,” he said. “They’ve done it on numerous occasions.”
Mr. Trump was referring to Democrats shutting down the government last fall and the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
The latter was a result of Democrats’ refusal to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
The president’s remarks on FISA came as he signed a bill that Republicans passed through the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process to fund the agencies through the remainder of his term.
“What we’re signing today has been amazing, but they tried to extort us,” Mr. Trump said. “They were losing tremendous support because they’re extorting on law and order, and they can’t win on law and order. … And ultimately, they could not take the heat.”
Republicans are hoping Democrats will fold under the heat of the foreign surveillance law expiring amid a host of national security challenges: the reescalating war in Iran, the flood of foreign travelers coming to watch the World Cup soccer games that began this week and numerous large events to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of independence.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.