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FISA

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., speaks as U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on Capitol Hill on June 11, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

What Democratic control of Congress means for cybersecurity

There’s a lame-duck session before Dems take over, but the leaders of the homeland security panels are already teeing up their agendas.
A bronze statue of English legal scholar Sir William Blackstone stands in front of the E. Barrett Pettyman United States Courthouse on July 7, 2024, in Washington. The courthouse houses the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. (Photo by J. David Ake/Getty Images)

Senators, rights groups say Trump administration breaking law by withholding surveillance court opinion

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has lapsed, but another decision on its future nears, and the classified opinion could be decisive.
Jay Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 Currently serving as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Clayton’s hearing comes days after his department signed off on controversial subpoenas against New York Times reporters. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

Dems press DNI nominee Jay Clayton on election security questions, but leave dismayed

Clayton maintained he was not an “election denier” but wouldn’t directly answer a number of questions about the 2020 race, his predecessor’s appearance at a January election…
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Congress kicks the can down the road on surveillance law (again)

It’s the second extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 10 days, and a regular ritual for the Hill.
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: The American flag flies above the U.S. Capitol building during a press conference on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Latest spy power reauthorization bill leaves critics unimpressed

An April 30 deadline is looming to extend expiring Section 702 powers, and the newest legislation to re-up it is drawing fire from the left and right.
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Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States Kash Patel is seen in the Capitol near a meeting on the administration’s use of FISA authority on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Alex Kent/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The surveillance law Congress can’t quit — and can’t explain

Congress overhauled Section 702 in 2024 with 56 changes. Now, as the law nears expiration, supporters and critics can’t even agree on what the numbers show.
Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., conduct the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” featuring testimony by FBI Director Kash Patel in Rayburn building on Sept. 17, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Warrant requirements, Democratic worries could factor into spy law renewal debate

A fresh effort is mounting in Congress to require federal agents to obtain a warrant before searching a government surveillance database for information about U.S. citizens, as…
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) participates in a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on April 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Privacy fights over expiring surveillance law loom after House hearing

At issue are warrant requirements sought by Judiciary Committee members and other gripes they have about the most recent Section 702 legislation.
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