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House Rejects FISA Patch; Pulte Fight Forces Expiration
Democrats blocked the short-term FISA extension over Bill Pulte’s appointment. Section 702 expires Friday with no clear path to revive it.
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The U.S. House on Thursday rejected a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The vote was 198–218. The program expires Friday.
The collapse came after House Democratic leaders announced they would not support any reauthorization as long as Bill Pulte serves as acting director of national intelligence. Trump tapped Pulte for the role earlier this month. Pulte has no prior national security experience. He currently runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has used that position to open investigations into Trump’s political opponents over mortgage-related allegations.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and four other Democratic leaders issued a joint statement Thursday morning. "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," they 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."
Speaker Mike Johnson tried to pass the short-term measure under a suspension of the rules, a procedural tool that requires a two-thirds majority. He had called the extension critical. "FISA, let me remind you ... is how we surveil terrorists who are trying to hurt Americans. It is a very important, vital national security tool," Johnson told reporters Wednesday.