Group of Republicans blocks FISA bill with spy powers deadline looming

A group of House Republicans on Wednesday tanked a procedural vote to begin debate on a bill to reauthorize the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, leaving the chamber scrambling on how to address the important spy tool before it expires next week.

Nineteen Republicans joined Democrats in voting against a rule for legislation to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), blocking the measure from advancing 193-228.

The move comes after former President Trump on Wednesday urged Republicans to “KILL FISA” — throwing a wrench in an already contentious debate.

The failed vote marks yet another instance of members of the GOP tanking what is typically a routine party-line vote to protest legislation put forward by leadership.

Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and other MAGA-aligned conservatives, the group offered conflicting rationales for blocking the bill.

They were upset with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for backing the legislation without a warrant requirement, even though their upheaval means the warrant amendment they insisted has broad support will no longer get a vote.

“What we ended up with was a bill that didn’t have the warrant protections in the bill. It was going to be forced to be added as an amendment. And then the Speaker of the House put his finger on the scale against the amendment. And that pretty much is the story,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who voted against the rule, told reporters after the vote.

The move also shows that the long-running feud between the House’s Intelligence and Judiciary members over the matter is alive and well — the group of conservatives had also insisted a prior Judiciary bill instead be brought to the floor, legislation they argue places greater limitations on FISA.

Leaving the vote on Wednesday, Johnson said the House GOP conference would “regroup and reformulate another plan” to extend the country’s spying powers.

“We cannot allow section 702 of FISA to expire. It’s too important to nation

The failing of the rule vote is another major complication to legislation that’s twice seen its path to the floor scuttled, in December and then again in February, over a fight about adding an unrelated bill barring the government from buying data from private brokers to the package.

Now Republicans may have to work with Democrats to secure the two-thirds vote necessary to bring the bill to the floor under suspension, bypassing the rules process and with it the vote on the amendment to add the warrant requirement.

“They don’t understand governing, and they don’t understand how to figure out decent compromises,” said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a House Intel member who supports the base bill.

“Which is kind of ironic that these folks who are pushing the warrant requirement have put themselves in a position of not getting any of the reforms that they’ve needed.”

Blocking the potential for a vote on the warrant amendment makes things more complicated for other Republicans who backed the effort to move forward on the bill.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has said he will not back the FISA bill without the warrant amendment — hopes now dashed with the tanking of the rule.