House extends surveillance powers until April 30 after late-night revolt
sinks GOP plan
[April 17, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House early Friday approved a short-term renewal
until April 30 of a controversial surveillance program used by U.S. spy
agencies in a post-midnight vote after Republicans revolted and refused
President Donald Trump’s push for a longer extension.
GOP leaders rushed lawmakers back into session to late Thursday with a
series of back-to-back votes that collapsed in dramatic failure, before
they quickly pushed ahead the stopgap measure as they race to keep the
surveillance program running past Monday's expiration date.
First they unveiled a new plan that would have extended the program for
five years, with revisions. Then they tried to salvage a shorter
18-month renewal that Trump had demanded and Speaker Mike Johnson had
previously backed. Some 20 Republicans joined most Democrats in blocking
its advance.
Shortly after 2 a.m. they quickly agreed to the 10-day extension, which
was agreed to on a voice vote without a formal roll call. It next goes
to the Senate, which is gaveling for a rare Friday session, as Congress
races to keep the surveillance program running.
“We were very close tonight,” said Johnson after the late-night action.
But Democrats blasted the middle-of-the-night voting as amateur hour.
“Are you kidding me? Who the hell is running this place?” said Rep. Jim
McGovern, D-Mass., during a fiery floor debate.
At the center of the standoff that has stretched throughout the week is
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits
the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and
analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. In
doing so, they can incidentally sweep up communications involving
Americans who interact with foreign targets.
U.S. officials say the authority is critical to disrupting terrorist
plots, cyber intrusions and foreign espionage.
Surveillance program fight is a debate over privacy and security
Its path to passage has teetered all week in a familiar fight, as
lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials’
warnings about national security risks.
Opponents of the surveillance tool point to past misuses. FBI officials
repeatedly violated their own standards when searching intelligence
related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and racial justice
protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order.
Trump and his allies had lobbied aggressively all week for a clean
renewal of the program, without changes.
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and fellow Republicans
celebrate GOP tax policies at an event outside the Capitol in
Washington, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A group of Republicans traveled to the White House on Tuesday, and
on Wednesday CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke directly with GOP
lawmakers. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Thursday there
had “been negotiations late into the night with the White House and
some of our members.”
“I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test
vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” Trump wrote on Truth
Social this week. “We need to stick together.”
The result of days of negotiations
Thursday’s proceedings came to a standstill as lawmakers retreated
behind closed doors and Johnson reached for an agreement to resolve
the standoff.
Shortly before midnight GOP leaders announced a new proposal, a
five-year extension, with revisions. The changes were designed to
win over skeptics of the surveillance program who have demanded
greater oversight to protect Americans’ privacy.
Among the changes are new provisions to ensure that only FBI
attorneys can authorize queries on U.S. persons, and to require the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence to review such
cases, said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., during the debate.
But the final product, a 14-page amendment, did not go far enough
for some holdouts in either party.
With Johnson controlling a slim majority, he has little room for
dissent. As the Republicans fell short on both efforts before the
short extension, a handful of Democrats stepped in to try to help
them advance the longer extensions, but most Democrats were opposed.
“We just defeated Johnson’s efforts to sneak through a 5-year FISA
authorization tonight,” said Democratic Rep, Ro Khanna of
California. “Now, they will have to fight in daylight.”
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