The House rejected a three-week extension of a foreign surveillance law that expires Friday as Democrats protest President Trump’s pick to temporarily lead the U.S. intelligence community.
The failed 198-218 vote all but guarantees the key spy authority will go dark.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorizes the warrantless collection of targeted foreign intelligence information to help combat terrorist plots.
If Congress does not renew the law, U.S. communications companies are unlikely to hand over foreign targets’ phone calls, emails and text messages without a warrant.
Information gathered from Section 702 is a large part of the daily presidential intelligence briefing that guides key national security decisions.
“FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday in a social media post requesting a short-term extension of the law.
Democrats are nearly universally refusing to renew Section 702 unless the president reverses his appointment of William J. Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence.
Mr. Trump has refused to do so, saying Mr. Pulte will step into the position on June 19 until he nominates a permanent DNI and the Senate confirms that person to the role.
Congress had reached a bipartisan deal to reauthorize Section 702 for three years with changes designed to combat abuse of the spy authority.
It was expected to have at least enough votes to clear the Senate before Mr. Trump announced he was tapping Mr. Pulte as acting DNI upon Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation.
“Donald Trump, as he often does, tosses a hand grenade into those sensitive negotiations by elevating Bill Pulte as the director of national intelligence — someone who is a political hack, a malignant clown, and he is woefully unqualified to serve in any position in the federal government, let alone as acting director of national intelligence,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference this week.
Democrats argue Mr. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is unqualified to even temporarily lead the U.S. intelligence community.
They also say he poses a threat to national security because he has shown a willingness to use sensitive information to target Mr. Trump’s political enemies.
The president said in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he doesn’t want to give in to Democrats’ demands and advised Republicans in Congress to stand strong.
“We can’t let them extort us,” he said. “They’ve done it on numerous occasions.”
Mr. Trump was referring to Democrats shutting down the government last fall and the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
The latter was a result of Democrats’ refusal to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
The president’s remarks on FISA came as he signed a bill that Republicans passed through the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process to fund the agencies through the remainder of his term.
“What we’re signing today has been amazing, but they tried to extort us,” Mr. Trump said. “They were losing tremendous support because they’re extorting on law and order, and they can’t win on law and order. … And ultimately, they could not take the heat.”
Republicans are hoping Democrats will fold under the heat of the foreign surveillance law expiring amid a host of national security challenges: the re-escalating war in Iran, the flood of foreign travelers coming to watch the World Cup soccer games that began this week and numerous large events to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of independence.
