House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging

Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson
Former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to "KILL FISA"
(Image credit: Julia Nikhinson / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

Nineteen House Republicans helped vote down a procedural measure necessary for the reauthorization of a key portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in the lurch. The insurgent GOP effort came after former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to "KILL FISA," claiming it was "ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME." Reauthorizing the foreign spying bill has long been contentious — particularly Section 702, which allows intelligence agencies to collect information on Americans without a warrant as part of surveillance on foreign citizens.

Who said what

When Trump "puts out a statement like that, people get scared," Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) told The Wall Street Journal. Lawmakers will vote "no" to avoid "getting grilled" in their home districts over the weekend. "We can't allow a critical tool like this to just expire and go out of use," Johnson said, adding that his FISA bill tries to strike a balance between "liberty" and "security."

The commentary

The defection of 19 Republicans on Wednesday's vote is the fourth time in Johnson's short tenure that the House has defeated a rule vote, handing the speaker and his leadership team another "major embarrassment," CNN said.

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What next?

Section 702 will expire on April 19 without congressional action.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.