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A bill reauthorizing the government’s chief spying tool is on its way to the Senate after House lawmakers on Monday swatted down a last-ditch bid to block it.
A group of GOP lawmakers attempted to torpedo the re-upping of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s warrantless spying power with a vote to reconsider the bill’s passage but they couldn’t muster the votes to prevail.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida filed the motion to reconsider Friday immediately after the bill’s passage.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, Ohio Republican, responded with a motion to table which effectively killed Ms. Luna’s motion in a 259-128 vote.
The bill now moves to the Senate for final approval.
The FISA spying power will expire Friday if Congress doesn’t act.
Opponents from both Republican and Democratic camps opposed FISA’s Section 702 which allows warrantless collection of electronic communication by foreigners abroad. Sometimes Americans’ data is inadvertently captured and opponents of the reauthorization wanted to add a warrant requirement when the FBI searches for Americans in the FISA database.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said his GOP colleagues who demand a warrant requirement are “misguided” and “frankly, they would forget the lessons of 9/11.”
“Let me be clear: the data collected under Section 702 is collected lawfully,” Mr. McConnell said in remarks made on the Senate floor. “It is entirely reasonable under the constitution. Any incidental collection of communications by or about U.S. persons is also reasonable.”
Other GOP senators, including Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, say a warrant is necessary for FISA.
Mr. Lee wrote on X Sunday that “voting to reauthorize FISA 702 without a warrant requirement is difficult to defend.” He added, “So are those casting such votes —especially if they purport to care about the Fourth Amendment.”
Opponents pointed to a history of abuses, including searches run on American protesters and political campaign donors.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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