Reform FISA Section 702 to Stop Government Surveillance (UPDATED 4/30)

Updates

April 30, 2026: The Senate and House have both passed a new 45-day clean extension of FISA Section 702, allowing lawmakers to continue negotiations on reforms through June 12th. The Senate passed the extension by unanimous consent while the House passed the extension by a 261-111 vote.

April 29, 2026: The House has passed a 3-year extension of FISA Section 702 by a vote of 235 to 191, with 22 Republicans voting No and 42 Democrats voting Yes. House Republicans attached an unrelated ban on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to the bill, complicating passage in the Senate.

April 17, 2026: The House and Senate have passed a 10-day clean extension of FISA Section 702 to continue reform negotiations until April 30th.

April 14, 2026: The House is set to vote this week on H.R. 8035, legislation to reauthorize FISA Section 702.

In April 2024, Congress passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), expanding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and redefining the laws that govern how the US can conduct foreign intelligence surveillance. This act extended a controversial 2008 law called Section 702, which allows for wiretapping and data collection from foreign nationals on US soil—including information shared with or by American citizens—without a warrant or court order. If not extended by a congressional vote, Section 702 is set to expire on April 20th, 2026.

Congress will vote on whether or not to extend Section 702 for another eighteen months just before the renewal deadline in mid-April, and while the White House is pushing for an extension without any amendments, many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want significant reforms. Section 702 was designed with an expiration date so it could be renewed with periodic reconsideration of modern technical advancements, yet few significant reforms have been made since 2008. Opponents of the law argue that it has overstepped its bounds because “advances in technology, from AI to the explosion of Americans’ data available for purchase, have far outpaced the laws protecting Americans’ privacy and civil liberties.”

Section 702 has been repeatedly abused in the past, with the FBI using its loopholes to access the communications of “peaceful protesters, federal and state lawmakers, Congressional staff, thousands of campaign donors, journalists, and a judge reporting civil rights violations by local police.” As over one hundred civil liberties groups expressed in a March 19th letter to Congress, new advancements in technology will only create further opportunities for abuse of this surveillance, such as the use of AI to mine and sell personal data.

Section 702 has long been in need of reform and, if extended as is, will only lead to more sweeping government surveillance. Tell your representatives not to extend Section 702 of FISA without significant reform.