Trump Urges Republican Lawmakers to Unify to Extend Surveillance Approval

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President ⁠Donald ⁠Trump on Tuesday ⁠called upon Republican lawmakers to work ​together to extend a law that allows American ‌spy agencies to surveil ‌foreigners abroad using data drawn from ⁠U.S. digital ⁠infrastructure before the authorization expires next week.

Trump said ​Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA 702), which is one of a suite of ​authorizations passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is ⁠vital ⁠for the U.S. military, ⁠and ​Republicans need to stick together to extend it.

The ​authorization is set ⁠to expire on April 20. Trump said he was working with Speaker Mike Johnson, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Intelligence ⁠Committee Chairman Rick Crawford to get a clean extension ⁠of FISA 702 through the House of Representatives this week.

“I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Our Military desperately needs FISA 702, and it ⁠is one of the reasons we have had such tremendous SUCCESS on the battlefield, both in Venezuela and Iran,” he added.

(Reporting by ​Daphne Psaledakis; writing by Ismail Shakil; ​editing by Michelle Nichols)

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.

Leave a Comment