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Section 702

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.
Kash Patel, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrives to testify during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

FBI nominee Kash Patel gets questions on cybercrime investigations, Silk Road founder, surveillance powers

Cyber otherwise wasn’t a big focus during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Patel’s nomination to lead the bureau.
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Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Gabbard, a former Congresswoman from Hawaii who previously ran for president as a Democrat before joining the Republican Party and supporting President Trump, is facing criticism from Senators over her lack of intelligence experience and her opinions on domestic surveillance powers. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Tulsi Gabbard tussles with senators over Snowden, surveillance 

President Trump’s nominee to lead ODNI substantially revised her previous positions on the former NSA contractor and Section 702 spying authorities.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) (C) talks with committee members Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) (L) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) while hearing testimony from former Special Counsel Robert Hur in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House passes extension of expiring surveillance authorities

Just days ago, lawmakers voted against even allowing a debate on an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
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