President Donald Trump sent mixed signals on Thursday about a reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. (Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON ― Hours after President Donald Trump sent mixed signals on Twitter about a controversial spying program, House lawmakers on Thursday resoundingly voted to reauthorize that program, once again endorsing the collection of information on Americans’ electronic communications without a warrant.
The House voted 256-164 to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, with 191 Republicans and 65 Democrats voting yes, and 119 Democrats and 45 Republicans voting no.
After years of libertarians and privacy-minded Democrats pushing to change FISA, the House passed a six-year reauthorization with hardly any changes. Before the final vote, lawmakers rejected a substitute proposal, 183-233, from libertarian-minded Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) that would have added privacy protections and reauthorized FISA for four years. The amendment would have barred the federal government from knowingly collecting communications exclusively between Americans, and required the federal government to seek a warrant to search communications collected using FISA authority.
The major point of contention involved Section 702 of FISA, which allows the government to spy on the electronic communications of non-U.S. citizens who they have a reasonable belief are outside the United States.
Critics argue that the 702 program vacuums up the information of millions of U.S. citizens who communicate with those individuals, and that the U.S. government should not be allowed to specifically search for that U.S. person information or use it against Americans in court without a warrant.
Trump added to the controversy Thursday morning when he speculated, via Twitter, that FISA was used as the authority to spy on the Trump campaign ― a claim that is misleading at best. (The FBI sought a FISA warrant to surveil a Trump aide, Carter Page, who was meeting with Russian officials.)
“House votes on controversial FISA ACT today.” This is the act that may have been used, with the help of the discredited and phony Dossier, to so badly surveil and abuse the Trump Campaign by the previous administration and others?
Almost two hours later, another tweet was sent from Trump’s account, saying this vote was about “foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land.”
“We need it! Get smart!” said the tweet, which was threaded to follow on from Trump’s earlier message ― something the president hasn’t shown a consistent ability to do.
With that being said, I have personally directed the fix to the unmasking process since taking office and today’s vote is about foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys on foreign land. We need it! Get smart!
The mixed messages prompted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to urge Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to pull the bill. Ryan, though, was apparently unconvinced, and decided to move ahead.
That bet paid off with a strong vote for the FISA reauthorization, with lawmakers providing over 40 votes more than what was needed to pass the bill. GOP leaders had shown some concern over the past few weeks that the FISA measure would have some trouble, particularly because they were relying on some Democratic votes to get the bill over the finish line, but ultimately they had more than enough support.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where it will likely face some debate. But privacy advocates had mostly believed the best chance of altering the legislation was in the House.
“Today, the House of Representatives abandoned its responsibility to protect the Constitution and the privacy of Americans,” said Sean Vitka, policy counsel at Demand Progress, a progressive surveillance reform group.
“We look forward to fighting this deeply flawed legislation in the Senate,” Vitka added.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) talks with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) before the start of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing concerning the roles and responsibilities for defending the nation against cyberattacks, on Oct. 19, 2017.
With Liberty And Justice...
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Whispers
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Medicare For All
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Bernie Bros
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McCain Appearance
Sen. John McCain, second from left, leaves the Capitol after his first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. He arrived to cast a vote to help Republican senators narrowly pass the motion to proceed for the replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017.
A Narrow Win
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, speaks alongside Sens. John Barrasso, left, John Cornyn, right, and John Thune, rear, after the Senate narrowly passed the motion to proceed for the replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017.
Kushner Questioning
Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, arrives at the Capitol on July 25, 2017. Kushner was interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door meeting about contacts he had with Russia.
Hot Dogs On The Hill
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) prepares a hot dog during the American Meat Institute's annual Hot Dog Lunch in the Rayburn Office Building courtyard on July 19, 2017.
And Their Veggie Counterparts
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Poised For Questions
Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, waits for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican on July 18, 2017.
Speaking Up
Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 17, 2017.
In The Fray
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to members of the media after announcing the revised version of the Senate Republican health care bill on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2017.
Anticipation
Christopher Wray is seated with his daughter Caroline, left, as he prepares to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be the next FBI director on July 12, 2017.
Up In Arms
Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2017.
Across A Table
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Capitol Hill on June 29, 2017.
Somber Day
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks about the recent attack on the Republican congressional baseball team during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2017.
Family Matters
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, and his sons, Jack, 10, and Brad, arrive in the basement of the Capitol after a shooting at the Republican baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017.
A Bipartisan Pause
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, coach of the Republican congressional baseball team, tells the story of the shooting that occurred during a baseball practice while he stands alongside Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), left, a coach of the Democratic congressional baseball team on June 14, 2017.
Hats On
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) reacts about the shooting he was present for at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, as he speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 14, 2017.
Public Testimony
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sworn in to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2017.
Comey's Big Day
Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill on June 8, 2017.
Conveying His Point
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats testifies at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his interactions with the Trump White House and on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on June 7, 2017.
Selfie Time
Vice President Mike Pence takes a selfie with a tourist wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda on June 6, 2017. The vice president walked through the rotunda after attending the Senate Republican policy luncheon.
Budget Queries
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifies before the House Budget Committee about President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017.
Flagged Down By Reporters
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, leaves a closed committee meeting on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017. The committee is investigating possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Shock And Awe
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hold a news conference on the release of the president's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 23, 2017.
Seeing Double
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) arrives in the Capitol for the Senate Democrats' policy lunch on May 16, 2017.
Honoring Officers
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on the West Lawn of the Capitol on May 15, 2017.
Whispers
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, and ranking member Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) talk during a hearing with the heads of the U.S. intelligence agencies in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 11, 2017.
Skeptical
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election on Capitol Hill on May 8, 2017.
Differing Opinions
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) gives a thumbs-up to protesters on the East Front of the Capitol after the House passed the Republicans' bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on May 4, 2017. The protesters support the ACA.
Real Talk
United States Naval Academy Midshipman 2nd Class Shiela Craine (left), a sexual assault survivor, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel with (2nd from left to right) Ariana Bullard, Stephanie Gross and Annie Kendzior in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 2, 2017. Kendzior, a former midshipman, and Gross, a former cadet, were both raped twice during their time at the military academies. The academy superintendents were called to testify following the release of a survey last month by the Pentagon that said 12.2 percent of academy women and 1.7 percent of academy men reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact during the 2015-16 academic year.
In Support Of Immigrants
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), center, is joined by dozens of Democratic members of the House of Representatives to mark "Immigrant Rights Day" in the Capitol Visitor Center on May 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The Democratic legislators called on Republicans and President Donald Trump to join their push for comprehensive immigration reform.
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