Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to have the House vote on FISA Section 702 next week, sources said. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images | Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The debate over its renewal has been intense, and it’s made unlikely allies out of hard-liners on the left and right alike over accusations it tramples on Americans’ civil rights. The FBI has been accused of improperly using Section 702 to spy on Black Lives Matter protesters in the summer of 2020 as well as people who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
"Freedom surrendered is rarely reclaimed. Next week, Congress once again confronts an opportunity for reform and accountability of [FISA]," Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, one of the tool’s critics, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
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"Demand a debate and recorded vote to require warrants to search American citizens' data, to limit the scope of collection, and to stop the government from avoiding warrants by buying data that would require a warrant or subpoena."
Section 702’s supporters, which include national security hawks and moderates on both sides, point out that Section 702 is critical to avoiding another Sept. 11, 2001-style attack and have accused its detractors of trying to gut the program to the point of inoperability.
Rep. Ralph Norman told Fox News Digital in February that the House Judiciary Committee should have jurisdiction over FISA. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File)
But the third source close to the Intelligence Committee said those on the panel "are the ones that see the threats to our nation up close and personal every day."
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An earlier proposal to hold votes on dueling bills and send the highest vote-getter to the Senate had also been scrapped. One had been by the House Judiciary Committee, which would have vastly restricted the program, and another by the House Intelligence panel would have made improvements to transparency and accountability pipelines.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment but did not hear back at press time.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
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