Congress Passes 45-Day Extension of FISA Section 702, Sending It to Trump’s Desk

Congress on Thursday passed a bill to temporarily extend a spying authority of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for 45 days as congressional debate on the controversial measure continues. The House passed the “clean” extension without reforms, which punts the deadline from April 30 to June 12, in a 261–111 vote. It was passed under a suspension of the rules, meaning it relied on Democratic support to pass. However, opposition to the measure was also bipartisan, with 26 Republicans joining 85 Democrats in casting a “No” vote. The measure’s passage comes just hours before the critical—but contentious—power is due to expire....