House Passes FISA Reauthorization As Mike Johnson Fends Off MAGA Revolt

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Despite protests from the MAGA wing of his own party, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) brought FISA reauthorization to the House floor where it passed with bipartisan support, 273-147. The bill now heads to the Senate.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, better known as FISA, will be renewed for two years, giving the next president — whoever that may be — the chance to renew it or let it expire. Former President Donald Trump opposed the bill, which initiated a revolt among his Republican supporters in Congress, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has already introduced a motion to vacate Johnson from his position as speaker.

The final bill that passed needed some adjustments before making it to the floor:

Grasping to salvage the measure before the law lapses next week, Speaker Mike Johnson put forward a shorter extension than its originally envisioned five years, persuading hard-right Republicans who had blocked the bill to allow it to move forward. The final vote was 273 to 147. Republicans were split 126-88 on the matter, while Democrats were split 147-59.

Until nearly the last minute, it was unclear what shape the final bill would take as lawmakers considered a series of proposed changes whose fate various members had said would determine their positions. Most prominently, lawmakers first rejected a proposal to ban F.B.I. agents and intelligence analysts from using Americans’ identifiers — like email addresses — to query the repository of messages swept up by the program unless those officials first get warrants.

Trump opposed FISA because he claimed that it was “illegally” used to spy on his 2016 presidential campaign and Greene told reporters earlier in the week that how Johnson handled the reauthorization would inform whether or not she moves forward with trying to oust him. Johnson is set to hold a joint press conference with Trump on Friday.