US House Rejects Foreign Surveillance Program Extension Amid DNI Pick Backlash

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a proposal to extend a key foreign surveillance program through July 2, as Democrats continued to withhold support over President Donald Trump's choice of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. The program will expire Friday.

Trump tapped Pulte for the role earlier this month, setting off bipartisan backlash. Pulte is currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has used his perch to launch probes into several of Trump's political opponents over allegations of mortgage-related wrongdoing. He has no prior national security experience.

House Democratic leaders came out against the short-term reauthorization ahead of Thursday's planned vote, effectively dooming the measure. Speaker Mike Johnson was attempting to approve it under a procedural tool normally used for noncontroversial bills that requires support from two-thirds of the House.

The measure failed by a vote of 198-218. The House left town after the vote and is not due back until June 23.

"Section 702 is a critical foreign intelligence authority, but we cannot in good conscience vote for reauthorization without significant reforms to protect both national security and the constitutional privacy rights of Americans," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., House Select Committee on Intelligence ranking member Jim Himes, D-Conn., and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a joint statement.

"Bill Pulte has no relevant national security experience. Consequently, his appointment is in defiance of the law that requires the Director of National Intelligence to have 'extensive' national security experience," the Democratic leaders wrote. "The apparent motivation for his elevation is the demonstrated willingness of Bill Pulte to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump's chosen political enemies."

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows the government to collect the communications of people outside the U.S., including when they are interacting with Americans. It's a controversial program, particularly to privacy hawks who worry about the data of U.S. citizens getting swept up by the government. But proponents say it's a vital national security tool, particularly as the U.S., Canada and Mexico prepare to host the FIFA Men's World Cup, which kicks off Thursday, and as Washington readies for a series of semiquincentennial celebrations in the coming weeks.

"The Democrats, 199 of them, voted against a clean, three-week extension for political purposes. And when the bill went down, they applauded," Johnson told reporters after the vote. "That record and that video is going to live in infamy. I pray that we do not have a serious calamity on our shores over the next few weeks."

Nineteen House Republicans also opposed the measure.

Lawmakers had been negotiating a multiyear extension to the program last week, but the Senate quashed that effort Friday after Trump announced Pulte as his DNI pick on a temporary basis.

Some Republicans, such as Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, called on Trump to rescind his pick to pave the way for passage. But Trump doubled down on his pick, saying in a TruthSocial post on Wednesday that Pulte would take over the role on June 19 and calling for a short-term FISA patch.

"FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations. If nothing is done, this important Law will expire this week. I am asking Congress to send me a short-term extension of FISA to provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency," Trump wrote.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, acknowledged in a briefing with reporters after the House vote on Thursday that not passing a FISA extension by Friday's deadline is "dangerous."

But the Virginia Democrat said there were alternatives, such as keeping Trump-appointed No. 2 Aaron Lukas in the short-term position instead of Pulte after the resignation of the current director, Tulsi Gabbard.

There is also the possibility of Trump issuing an executive order to extend FISA, but Warner is not convinced that idea would work, because telecommunication companies could object over concerns of legal liability without congressional approval of the program.

The risk of not having a qualified leader in charge of national intelligence looms large over the start of the World Cup.

"God forbid, as we move into the World Cup, something would happen," Warner said. "But if something happens, it lies at the feet of [the] president, and that is unfortunate."