House Passes Rule for FISA Extension, DHS Funding

House Speaker Mike Johnson advanced a key procedural measure in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday after more than two hours of vote holding, overcoming resistance from within his Republican caucus to tee up votes on extending a surveillance program and funding immigration enforcement.

The rule, approved by all Republicans present, sets the stage for floor consideration of a three-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies to collect data on foreign targets without individual warrants and expires Thursday. It also incorporates a Senate-passed budget resolution to fund Department of Homeland Security operations through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term, including immigration enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Leaders deferred action on a farm bill containing agriculture and nutrition provisions.

The narrow Republican majority, which can tolerate few defections, forced extended negotiations. GOP leadership lobbied holdouts, including privacy advocates skeptical of the surveillance program, by adding language...