Lawmakers approve short-term extension of Trump’s surveillance powers

President Donald Trump’s effort to expand the government’s controversial, warrantless surveillance powers suffered a minor setback early Friday morning after a group of conservative lawmakers rejected a compromise deal that would extend the program by five years and include some minor reforms aimed at appeasing GOP privacy hawks.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Friday, the House of Representatives approved a two-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), giving lawmakers until April 30 to reach a deal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed confidence at his conference that a deal could be reached by the end of the month.

“We were very close tonight. There are some nuances in the language and some questions that need to be answered and we will get it done. The overtime gives us time to do that,” he said.

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The short-term FISA extension came together after House GOP leadership was forced to rescind the program’s initial 18-month extension due to opposition from conservatives who wanted more privacy protections added to the program.

GOP privacy hawks also rejected a compromise deal that would have extended the surveillance law to 2031 and added tougher criminal penalties for violations of FISA searches.

Section 702 authority allows the government to spy on foreign nationals abroad even if the communications involve Americans. Both conservatives and progressives have pushed for a requirement that would force officials to get permission before reviewing Americans’ data.

House GOP leadership was racing this week to renew the surveillance bill before the April 20 deadline. When their desired approach faced conservative opposition in the House of Representatives, they agreed to a two-week extension.

The Senate could unanimously approve the short-term extension as early as Friday.

“What we’re trying to do is ensure that we have this important tool to keep Americans safe, but also to protect constitutional rights and to make sure that past abuses of FISA will no longer be possible,” Johnson said in a statement early Friday morning. he said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson attends a press conference following the House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 13, 2026 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The speaker can only single out two defections from the GOP during test votes, assuming all members are present and voting. Although many Democrats supported a clean FISA reauthorization bill, Johnson could not count on their support during procedural votes because they often voted along party lines.

The Trump administration has argued that the spying authority must be renewed to prevent possible terrorist attacks on the country and that it would be reckless to allow the program to expire in the midst of the conflict with Iran.

“There’s a lot at stake,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News during a visit to Capitol Hill in an effort to sell the GOP extension for a clean extension.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine sent a letter obtained by Fox News Digital to his Capitol Hill offices, highlighting the importance of the surveillance tool to national security. Trump also called on Republicans to “unite” behind his desired approach to a clean expansion of Truth Social.

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Lobbying by House GOP leaders and the Trump administration for a clean extension of FISA without reforms has proven to be a tough sell among some conservatives. Despite the high-profile pressure campaign, the GOP’s privacy advocates have continued to push for the inclusion of a consent requirement, which they argue would better protect Americans’ data.

“We understand, and we agree with the President, that we need 702 authority to go after bad guys overseas,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told reporters. “Whether it’s this administration or future administrations, we’re fighting for more protections to ensure that citizens have protections.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said Thursday: “To those who say we want these reforms within FISA, we mean what we say and it’s not something we’re going to ignore.”

“We always face the threat that something very bad will happen, that people will die if we don’t reauthorize 702,” Boebert continued. “But many thousands, many men and women, have died for the sake of the Fourth Amendment, and I will continue to stand up and protect the Fourth Amendment right for all American citizens.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., speaks with reporters as she leaves the U.S. Capitol for the weekend May 17, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Democrats also criticized the compromise agreement early Friday morning for being drafted at the eleventh hour, arguing that the warrant requirement included in the FISA agreement, which has since been rejected, was effectively toothless.

D-Art. “It just says they can ask for a warrant. They don’t have to search. They can ask for a warrant,” said his representative, Jamie Raskin, referring to the FBI. “So this ruling makes no sense. It just puts us back where we were.”

Despite a number of GOP objections, fewer Republicans opposed a clean expansion of the 702 program than in previous legislative debates on the spying bill.

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Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a FISA skeptic, supported outright reauthorization, citing the more than five dozen reforms Congress has made to the program in 2024.

“2026 is not 2024, and a clean short-term extension of section 702 of the FISA act is an acceptable outcome for our situation,” Jordan said in a statement Tuesday. he said.

House GOP leadership has argued that failure to prevent the FISA program from passing the reauthorization deadline is not an option.

“This is an important tool for national security,” Johnson told Fox News on Wednesday. “We cannot and will not let it expire.”

Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.