Republicans buck Trump to reject 18-month FISA extension | CNN Politics

Congress on Friday approved a short-term extension for a critical foreign surveillance program after GOP leaders failed to secure a longer term extension amid clamoring from some of their members for reforms to protect Americans’ privacy. The warrantless surveillance law, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was set to expire on Monday night. Members are hoping the additional time will allow them to come to agreement without ending authorization for the intelligence gathering program, which permits US officials to monitor phone calls and text messages from foreign targets. It now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign the bill that would reauthorize FISA through April 30. There was an hour of suspense in the Senate Friday morning when it appeared possible that Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a longtime critic of FISA 702, might block the House-passed extension. But ultimately, he said his House colleagues had assured him “this short-term extension makes reform more likely, and expiration makes reform less likely,” and so he chose not to object. Just hours earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson suffered a middle-of-the-night defeat in the