All posts tagged: fisa

Trump Tells “Less Shackled” Pulte To Fire Intelligence Officials As Senate Blocks FISA Extension

Trump Tells “Less Shackled” Pulte To Fire Intelligence Officials As Senate Blocks FISA Extension

Published by Jenni Sidey

When has the Senate ever not increased government spy powers? When President Trump installs Bill Pulte as acting DNI and instructs him to start kicking hornet nests, apparently.   In a WSJ interview published Friday, Trump revealed he has directed incoming acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin the process of firing a large number of employees as part of a major shake-up of the U.S. intelligence community. Trump described the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as “unnecessary and/or too big” and said he wants it made “much smaller” – and possibly even terminated. “I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, targeting holdovers from prior administrations. He told Pulte to “start the process” of firings, noting that Pulte’s acting status makes him “less shackled” and gives him more power in the short term to do the “hard work” of downsizing before a permanent director is confirmed. Trump compared the approach to Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s efforts to …

Congress Passes 45-Day Extension Of FISA Section 702, Sending It To Trump’s Desk

Congress Passes 45-Day Extension Of FISA Section 702, Sending It To Trump’s Desk

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a bill to extend a spying authority of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for 45 days as congressional debate on the controversial measure continues. The U.S. Capitol building on April 29, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Both chambers of Congress raced to pass the short-term measure earlier Thursday after the Senate declined to take up a House-passed bill to extend the deadline until 2029. The House passed the “clean” extension, without reforms, which punts the deadline from April 30 to June 12, in a 261–111 vote. It was passed under a suspension of the rules, meaning it relied on Democratic support to pass. However, opposition to the measure was also bipartisan, with 26 Republicans joining 85 Democrats in casting a “No” vote. The measure’s passage and signature into law came just hours before the critical—but contentious—power was due to expire. The 45-day extension was proposed and passed by the Senate earlier on Thursday after it …

US Congress extends controversial surveillance power under FISA for 10 days | Privacy News

US Congress extends controversial surveillance power under FISA for 10 days | Privacy News

Published by Sam Flores

The measure has long been criticised for allowing US intelligence agencies to collect citizen data without a warrant. Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 The United States Congress has temporarily extended a controversial surveillance law which allows federal intelligence agencies to collect the data of foreigners, including their contacts with US citizens. The move allows a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to continue until April 30. The short-term extension was passed by the House of Representatives and approved by the Senate on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The patch comes after President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a more lasting extension broke down. Section 702 of FISA allows the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence services to collect data from foreigners outside of the country. That could include their interactions with US citizens, a prospect that has alarmed rights advocates. Collecting such data, which can include correspondence on email and telecommunications platforms, typically requires a warrant approved by a court. The process has been described by …

Republicans discuss boosting existing spy powers guardrails as FISA compromise

Republicans discuss boosting existing spy powers guardrails as FISA compromise

Published by Sam Flores

Republicans are discussing a year-long renewal of the nation’s warrantless spy powers in exchange for strengthening current aspects of the law, multiple sources involved in the talks told The Hill. Such a package would scale back the 18-month timeline requested by President Trump in renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA), which… Source link

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers

Published by Jenni Sidey

Trump Asks Congress To Pass Clean Reauthorization Of FISA Spy Powers Authored by Joseph Lord and Nathan Worcester via The Epoch Times, President Donald Trump asked Congress this week to pass a clean reauthorization of a critical—but controversial—spying authority as the U.S. military operation in Iran continues. “I have called for a clean 18-month extension,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, noting that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are working toward passing such a bill. Specifically, Trump is asking Congress to extend the authorities in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a sweeping War on Terror-era spying authority that has seen wide abuse by federal intelligence agencies in the past. Section 702 targets intelligence from foreign nationals thought to be outside the United States. Yet, it also enables intelligence agencies to gather information from Americans who are in contact with targeted non-U.S. persons—all without a warrant. The controversial authority was at the center of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden’s 2014 disclosures. Although …

US Lawmakers Move to Kill the FBI’s Warrantless Wiretap Access

US Lawmakers Move to Kill the FBI’s Warrantless Wiretap Access

Published by skeptic

A bipartisan privacy coalition in the United States Congress introduced legislation on Thursday that would impose a strict warrant requirement on the FBI’s backdoor searches of Americans’ communications, aligning federal law with a 2025 federal court ruling that found the warrantless practice unconstitutional. The bill, the Government Surveillance Reform Act of 2026, repeals controversial expansions of the government’s warrantless wiretapping authority while overhauling key aspects of federal surveillance law—setting up a showdown with the US intelligence community and its congressional allies weeks before a sweeping global spy program sunsets on April 20. Senators Ron Wyden and Mike Lee are leading the legislative push alongside Representatives Warren Davidson and Zoe Lofgren. The measure carries endorsements from civil liberties organizations across the political spectrum. The legislation arrives in a surveillance landscape fundamentally altered since 2024, when Congress last renewed the wiretap program, authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill’s sponsors framed the Government Surveillance Reform Act as a necessary corrective to a surveillance state that has been supercharged by modern technology …