House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is still working to try to secure enough votes to advance an extension of a government surveillance program opposed by several GOP members.
A scheduled afternoon procedural vote on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been delayed as GOP leaders continue negotiations with the Republican holdouts.
Earlier Thursday, Johnson told reporters that leadership was “very close” to coming to an agreement with the holdouts.
“We’re building consensus, and I’m very optimistic we’ll get there,” Johnson said.
Several options have been floated as possible solutions, including 60-day, 12-month, and 18-month extensions, all of which have been proposed to give Republicans more time to work out reforms to FISA.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) told the Washington Examiner that during a late-night House Freedom Caucus meeting on Wednesday, a short-term extension of 60 days was discussed with GOP leadership to give the conference time to “hash out” an agreement.
But divisions exist among the holdouts as well. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told reporters that there’s a “separation” on how long the extension should last. Burchett himself pushed for a 15-day stopgap, rather than a longer one proposed by other members of his caucus.
House GOP leadership, with the backing of President Donald Trump, originally wanted to pass a “clean” 18-month extension of the government surveillance program, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens overseas.
When asked about a 60-day extension, Johnson told reporters that it was an idea that had been discussed but that there are “a hundred different suggestions that have been made.”
The vote delay comes after Johnson had already twice postponed a vote on extending FISA amid the GOP divisions.
The conservative holdouts, which include members of the House Freedom Caucus, have been vocal in their opposition to extending the program without reforms that build on those already implemented in 2024.
GOP privacy hawks want more limitations, including adding a warrant requirement, restrictions on search queries, and enhanced penalties if there’s a violation.
But GOP leadership is arguing that changes made in 2024 are sufficient to safeguard the privacy of the public who may get caught up in the foreign surveillance and is pressing for a final House vote before the authorities lapse on Monday.
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Johnson can only lose two GOP votes on the floor, given his slim control of the House. Some Democrats are expected to vote for final passage, but procedural steps are typically cast along party lines.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court reauthorized the spy program in March, allowing the surveillance powers to continue operating until March 2027, even if Congress does not strike an agreement on the authority.