Johnson delays FISA reform bill amid GOP divisions on warrants

House Republicans have delayed plans for reforming the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amid internal GOP divisions over the extent to which Congress should rein in surveillance powers.

"In order to allow Congress more time to reach consensus on how best to reform FISA and Section 702 while maintaining the integrity of our critical national security programs, the House will consider the reform and reauthorization bill at a later date," Raj Shah, a spokesman for House Speaker Mike Johnson, confirmed on X.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Act (FISA) is a provision allowing for the surveillance of foreigners abroad without a warrant. Intelligence community abuse and the potential for gathering American information in the process has prompted some Republicans to seek reform. Section 702 was slated to expire at the end of 2023, though Congress temporarily extended it into April amid dueling reform proposals.

Both the House Intelligence Committee and House Judiciary Committee had drafted legislation to reform Section 702, with the Judiciary panel seeking more extensive restrictions on surveillance powers.

The current legislation under consideration more closely resembles the Intelligence Committee proposal and has struggled to attract support from conservative privacy hawks who hope to include warrant requirements.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.