In a late-night ballot on April 20, the U.S. Senate voted to reauthorize a controversial spying authority. President Joe Biden signed it into law the following day.
The authority in question, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), has come under increased scrutiny in recent years by privacy and civil liberty advocates in the wake of a series of abuses.
After rejecting a series of amendments designed to strengthen civil liberty protections—including an amendment by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to require a warrant to search Americans’ Section 702 data and another by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to prohibit federal law enforcement from purchasing Americans’ data from third-party brokers—the Senate reauthorized the program 45 minutes after it lapsed.
The legislation, extending FISA Section 702 for two years, passed the Senate in a 60–34 vote—hardly achieving the 60 vote threshold required for final passage.
Six senators—Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)—were absent from the vote.
Here’s how the rest of the U.S. Senate voted on the divisive authority.
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