Senate approves extension of FISA surveillance just after deadline

TheHill— The Senate early Saturday passed a two-year reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) warrantless surveillance program after hours of intense and sometimes acrimonious debate on the Senate floor, narrowly avoiding a key national intelligence gathering capability going dark. Senators voted 60-34 to send the bill to President Biden’s desk shortly after the midnight

Fox News—Senate passes FISA surveillance tool renewal minutes after midnight deadline. Roughly 40 minutes after it lapsed, the Senate voted to pass a renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which serves as a critical tool used by the government to gather intelligence on foreign subjects using the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers.  The upper chamber voted 60-34 to pass the re-authorization. The provision lapsed for less than an hour at midnight on Friday, and if the renewal hadn't passed soon after, the...

Washington Examiner—Senate on ‘glide path’ to pass FISA extension ahead of midnight deadline. The Senate reached a deal to reauthorize a controversial FISA spying program on Friday night despite days of hardened opposition, teeing up a series of votes hours before the law expires. A bipartisan group of privacy hawks had refused to fast-track the legislation, which renews Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but they […]

TheHill—Senate reaches deal to pass FISA reauthorization by deadline. After hours of stalemate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced a deal Friday evening to vote on a package of amendments to a House-passed bill to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) warrantless surveillance program, putting it on a trajectory to pass before a midnight deadline. The expanded surveillance powers authorized by