Congress Passes 45-Day FISA Section 702 Extension

Congress passed a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Thursday, averting the program's expiration at midnight and sending the measure to President Donald Trump, who signed it into law hours later. The House approved the clean extension by a 261-111 vote under suspension of the rules, following Senate passage via unanimous consent.

The action followed the failure of a longer-term reauthorization. The House had approved a three-year extension the previous day that included a provision barring the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currency. Senate leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune, rejected that addition as unrelated, prompting the short-term patch. This marked the second temporary extension this month; lawmakers had enacted a 10-day delay on April 20 after earlier impasses over renewal lengths and reforms.

Section 702, enacted in 2008, authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications such as emails, texts and calls from foreign nationals outside the country without individualized warrants, targeting threats like terrorism and espionage. Americans' data is often collected incidentally when they...