Search Articles
WASHINGTON (CN) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that he would soon bring up a bill granting a short-term extension to expansive government surveillance powers set to expire amid a bipartisan breakdown over President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee the intelligence community.
But while the move is aimed at preventing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 spy powers from sunsetting on Friday, it’s already being called a nonstarter by congressional Democrats who say they won’t back such an extension unless the White House walks back Bill Pulte’s nomination as acting director of national intelligence.
The Senate has been locked in a stalemate for days over the FISA program, which allows intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance on foreign nationals living abroad. The spy powers, backed by national security hawks in Congress, have also been criticized by lawmakers who worry they can be used to surveil American citizens.
Motivating the quagmire in the upper chamber is Trump’s decision to select Pulte, currently director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to replace Tulsi Gabbard as head of U.S. intelligence. Senate Democrats have slammed Pulte as a political operative who should not hold the keys to powerful government surveillance powers.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon, Johnson said House Republicans didn’t have “a great amount of confidence” that the Senate would reach a consensus on extending FISA.
“They’re unable to pass it, and it’s a great regret, because Democrats in the Senate are playing political games right now with the lives of Americans,” said the top House lawmaker. “It’s a very dangerous situation.”
Johnson said House Republicans would bring up a short-term extension to FISA that would keep the program online until July 2, consistent with requests from the White House.
“FISA … is how we surveil terrorists who are trying to hurt Americans,” the House speaker said. “It’s a very important, vital national security tool. We cannot allow that to go dark.”
Johnson said the House would vote on the short-term extension Thursday morning. It’s likely the chamber’s last chance for such a move — both the House and Senate are out of session next week for the Juneteenth holiday.
But House Democrats have already poured cold water on the plan.
“If Donald Trump wants any shot at a short-term extension, he needs to pull back on the Bill Pulte nomination,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters. He called the DNI nominee a “partisan political hack” and argued the president had endangered U.S. national security with his pick.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday penned a letter to the White House demanding that Trump rescind Pulte’s appointment. “Mr. Pulte’s work in your administration demonstrates why he is a uniquely poor choice to serve as acting DNI,” they wrote.
As head of the government’s federal housing agency, Pulte repeatedly recommended the Justice Department pursue mortgage fraud charges against several of the president’s mortal political enemies, such as California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Trump cited mortgage fraud accusations against Cook when he fired her from the central bank earlier this year.
Amid the partisan slugfest over his nomination, Trump announced in a post on Truth Social Tuesday evening that Pulte would take over for Gabbard as acting DNI next week. He’s said Pulte would oversee staffing changes in the intelligence community but has insisted that his appointment will only be temporary.
Still, Democrats argued Pulte had no business even as a temporary intelligence chief, pointing out that he has no intelligence, foreign policy or defense experience.
“There is no reason to believe he has any concept of the DNI’s responsibilities or those of the broader intelligence community he would lead,” the Intelligence Committee Democrats told Trump on Wednesday.
If the House manages to pass a short-term FISA extension Thursday morning, the Senate will still need to approve it. It’s unclear whether such a gambit would net the necessary Democratic support.
Follow @BenjaminSWeissSubscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
