Trump Allies Block Vote on US Surveillance Program, Sparking Controversy

House Speaker Fails to Garner Support for Controversial Surveillance Program

House Speaker Mike Johnson has been unsuccessful in securing support for the reauthorization of a contentious surveillance program, marking his third attempt since December. The program, known as Section 702, maintains a database that stores a portion of the raw data collected under its authority.

Government Acknowledges Collecting US Communications

While the government claims to only “target” foreign individuals, it has admitted to gathering a substantial amount of US communications in the process. The exact quantity of these communications is said to be incalculable. However, the government asserts that once these communications are in its possession, federal agents have the constitutional right to review them without obtaining a warrant.

Unusual Alliance Forms to End Warrantless Searches

An unexpected coalition, comprising progressive and conservative lawmakers, emerged last year with the goal of putting an end to these warrantless searches. Many of the Republicans involved in this alliance have been outspoken critics of the FBI following its misuse of FISA to target a member of the Trump campaign in 2016. It is important to note that the Section 702 program, which is only one component of FISA, was not implicated in that specific controversy.

Proposed Changes Face Criticism from Privacy Experts

Privacy experts have expressed their disapproval of the proposed changes to the Section 702 program, which have been endorsed by members of the House Intelligence Committee and Speaker Johnson. Interestingly, Johnson had previously voted in favor of requiring a warrant but now opposes it. Sean Vitka, policy director at Demand Progress, a nonprofit focused on civil liberties, commented:

“It seems Congressional leadership needs to be reminded that these privacy protections are overwhelmingly popular. Surveillance reformers remain willing and able to do that.”

Attorneys Warn of Potential Increase in Business Cooperation

A group of attorneys, who are among the few to have presented arguments before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, released a statement on Tuesday warning that an amendment proposed by the Intelligence Committee could significantly increase the number of US businesses compelled to cooperate with the program.

FBI Misuse of Section 702 Program Revealed

Declassified filings released by the FISA court last year exposed the FBI’s misuse of the Section 702 program on more than 278,000 occasions. As reported by The Washington Post, these abuses included targeting “crime victims, January 6 riot suspects, people arrested at protests after the policing killing of George Floyd in 2020 and—in one case—19,000 donors to a congressional candidate.”

Calls for Meaningful Reforms to Section 702

James Czerniawaski, a senior policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity, a Washington, DC-based think tank advocating for changes to Section 702, acknowledged the program’s value but emphasized the need for significant and meaningful reforms, stating:

“The outcome of today was completely avoidable, but it requires the Intelligence Community and its allies to recognize that its days of unaccountable and unconditional spying on Americans are over.”