Some Republican House members rebuked GOP leadership and fellow party members on Friday after passing a tweaked surveillance bill, only two days after the previous version failed to come to a vote.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) spy program has sparked controversy and debate among lawmakers.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz blasted those who voted against required warrants.
The bill, which reformulates and extends Section 702 of FISA for a shortened two-year period, aims to balance national security concerns with civil liberties.
Conservative supporters of the warrant mandate were furious with the outcome, accusing opponents of compromising fundamental liberties and strengthening the “deep state.”
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The Republicans who voted against the warrant requirement and in support of the final FISA package, such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA.), were the target of their ire.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz warned he may show up in GOP districts to mobilize opposition to the amendment’s detractors.
“Every one of these members who voted against a warrant requirement, they are the deciding vote. They own it,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said after the vote. “And some of them may see me showing up in their districts very soon to campaign against them and to stand for the Constitution.”
Although the FISA package cleared the House with a bipartisan vote of 273 to 147, GOP members requesting greater warrant safeguards promptly blocked its transfer to the Senate.
The action will have no impact on the status of the underlying bill, which the House is likely to send to the upper house when legislators return to Washington on Monday.
Republican Representative Chip Roy of Texas blasted the passing of the bill, “Every member who voted “no” on the warrant amendment owns the fact Americans will continue to be subjected to warrantless searches of 702 data. #GetAWarrant.”
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“That was the choice today,” Roy continued. “And every single person in this body, no matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, voted against an amendment to protect Americans, to protect them with a warrant, and they’ve got to answer to it.”
One specific area of concern for lawmakers is the potential abuse of the FISA program by intelligence agencies. Critics argue that the FBI’s use of the surveillance program to search for information about Americans and others within the United States raises significant privacy issues.
The Biden administration has emphasized the need to renew the FISA program to ensure the continued collection of crucial intelligence.
While the program is set to expire on April 19, the administration has stated that, due to a recent opinion from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, it expects its authority to collect intelligence to remain operational for at least another year.
However, officials argue that congressional authorization is still necessary to maintain cooperation with communications companies and avoid potential disruptions in intelligence gathering.
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