House Intel Chairman Expects Spying Power Reauthorization to Pass the House

Since narrowly reauthorizing the bill in 2018, Congress has been faced with a series of abuses that have raised doubts about the future of the entire process. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) anticipates the passage of a reauthorization of a controversial spying power through the House this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is set to bring Rep. Laurel Lee’s (R-Fla.) “Reforming Intelligence and Securing America” Act, which aims to make reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), to the floor for a vote. Mr. Turner recently appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” to discuss the upcoming vote in the House and expressed his belief that the legislation will pass.

The proposed bill by Ms. Lee seeks to reform the controversial Section 702 of the bill, which was established in 2008 to allow intelligence officials to gather information on foreign actors operating outside of the United States. However, recent revelations have shown numerous abuses of this authority, including illegal queries of Americans and unauthorized surveillance on various individuals and groups.

Despite efforts to address these issues, disagreements persist between lawmakers regarding the necessity of a warrant to query Americans’ data. The proposed reform by Ms. Lee does not include such a requirement, which has sparked concerns among civil liberty advocates. Nonetheless, the bill does introduce some modifications to Section 702 policy, including stricter requirements for accuracy and completeness of applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court targeting U.S. persons, enhanced penalties for illegal queries, and improved congressional oversight of the program.

While bipartisan opposition to the bill exists, Mr. Turner remains optimistic about its chances of passing, emphasizing the importance of intelligence gathering for national security. However, challenges may arise in the Senate, where Democratic senators have voiced criticism of the current Section 702 law. The fate of the legislation remains uncertain as it navigates through the legislative process. Please rephrase this sentence.

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