Congress Continues Postponing Surveillance Reform

Congress has extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for 45 days to allow more time for negotiating reforms. The House renewed Section 702 with minor adjustments but without the debated warrant requirement. A provision prohibiting Central Bank Digital Currencies was included, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune opposed. Thune emphasized that three weeks should suffice for meaningful negotiation. Senators disagreed on the extension’s length, eventually settling on 45 days. In the House, Rep. Jim McGovern criticized the lack of debate during negotiations, describing the process as chaotic. He noted many amendments were Republican-proposed but weren’t discussed. Some reforms were included in the House bill, such as penalties for abuse of FISA 702 queries and requirements for DOJ procedure updates and independent audits. The bill also blocked the Federal Reserve from issuing Central Bank Digital Currencies. Privacy advocates criticized the bill as insufficient, lacking warrant requirements for querying Americans’ messages. Congress faces a June 14 deadline to finalize Section 702 reforms.