Republican senators warn Section 702 may expire amid controversy over intelligence chief pick
Senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Grassley cautioned that the Section 702 surveillance authority could lapse on June 12 after opposition to President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence stalled a bipartisan extension effort.
Republican leaders of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees warned the White House that Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the CIA, NSA and FBI to collect communications of foreign targets without a warrant, is set to expire on June 12. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Grassley said the lapse could create a "significant gap in foreign intelligence collection."
Lawmakers had been close to a bipartisan agreement on a long-term reauthorisation, but the effort collapsed after President Trump named Bill Pulte, a federal housing-finance regulator, as acting director of national intelligence. Critics from both parties argued that Pulte lacks the national-security experience needed to oversee the intelligence community.
"I know how important this tool is. Why the president would throw this live hand grenade of Bill Pulte in 10 days before this is due to expire, I’m not sure," Democratic Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner said on ABC’s This Week.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged the timing was poor but said the nomination should not derail the surveillance programme. Republican Intelligence Committee member James Lankford called Pulte "not qualified for the long-term position" on Fox News Sunday.
Both parties will need to secure cross-aisle support to pass any extension, a prospect Senate leaders say is unlikely while Pulte remains in the acting role. The Justice Department declined to comment, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media that "America faces real threats from foreign adversaries, terrorists, cyber actors, and hostile intelligence services" and described Section 702 as a key tool for countering those threats.
Cotton and Grassley urged the administration to consider an executive order to avoid a disruption in intelligence collection, noting that Democrats are unlikely to back another short-term extension.
