A short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless surveillance program failed in the House on Thursday. With lawmakers leaving town for a scheduled week-long recess, the spy powers are set to expire, putting the country in a legal gray area.
The legislation would have kept Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) active through July 2. The final vote was 198-218. Nineteen Republicans voted against the measure, and only seven Democrats voted in favor.
Speaker Mike Johnson tried to pass the bill using a fast-track process that requires a two-thirds majority vote. The effort fell short largely because Democrats refused to support the extension after President Trump announced that he picked Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence on June 19. Pulte currently heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Republicans urged members to pass the extension to avoid a lapse in security. Rep. Jim Jordan argued during the debate that the bill would simply give Congress “three weeks to continue to hammer it out.”
Rep. Rick Crawford warned about upcoming events that could be targeted by terrorists if the program goes dark.
“We’re at an elevated threat level with FIFA World Cup games beginning this week, America’s 250th birthday and related celebrations coming up this summer,” Crawford said.
He blasted Democrats of choosing to “play political chicken with an essential national security tool.” Crawford also noted that Pulte would not actually be the one searching the database, stating, “The DNI has no 702 query authority either. [Democrats] know that to be true and yet continue on this personality conflict.”
Democrats heavily criticized Pulte’s upcoming appointment, pointing to his lack of intelligence background and his history of referring criminal charges against the president’s political opponents.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top Democrats released a joint statement before the vote, saying, “Bill Pulte has no relevant national security experience.” They claimed the appointment violates laws requiring the DNI to have extensive experience and said the real motivation is Pulte’s “demonstrated willingness to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump’s chosen political enemies.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin echoed those concerns, arguing that Pulte’s appointment makes it “even more obvious that he intends to use FISA to investigate, harass and persecute his political opponents.” Raskin stressed that Pulte has absolutely no national security background, saying he has “Zero. Zilch. None.”
Even Democrats who have supported temporary extensions in the past decided to back away. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said the House was close to reaching a deal before Pulte’s appointment was thrown into the mix.
Himes described Pulte as “a man who’s never held a security clearance” and someone who acts as an “attack dog” to go after political enemies, adding, “And we’re asked for yet more indulgence.”
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