DORAL, Fla.—On the final day of the annual House GOP policy retreat in Doral, Florida, Republican leadership confirmed that President Donald Trump wants a “clean reauthorization” of a key federal surveillance law before its expiration deadline in late April.

“What we’ve talked about, and what the president has talked about, is he wants a clean reauthorization,” Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said in response to a question from The Epoch Times.

While Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows for warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals’ communications, data of U.S. citizens has also been targeted.

Unless Congress passes an extension, the federal government’s spy powers in Section 702 are set to expire on April 20.

When Congress previously reauthorized FISA two years ago, a group of 212 Democrats and Republicans voted to amend the law with a warrant requirement if U.S. intelligence agencies wanted to spy on U.S. citizens.

The crucial tie-breaking vote to kill the warrant amendment came from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

While House Republican leadership “will definitely get FISA done,” ahead of next month’s deadline, McClain said, she did not offer details on the timeline.

“There was some incredibly good reforms that we all came together with last time. The president wants to see all that stay in place and move forward on this with a clean reauthorization, and there’s momentum to do it,” Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) told reporters on Wednesday.

Shortly before Congress passed the 2024 reauthorization of FISA, Trump urged congressional Republicans to “KILL” the wiretapping law, claiming it was used against him to spy on his campaign.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment by publication time on Wednesday.

The previous FISA extension “did not go far enough in protecting Americans’ privacy rights from intrusions by the federal government,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said shortly after Congress passed it in 2024.

A 2022 report found that U.S. intelligence agencies had used the law to surveil more than 3.3 million Americans without a warrant.

The U.S. government’s use of Section 702 to probe data of people residing in the United States violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, a federal judge ruled early last year.

Some Democrats have also spoken out against allowing intelligence agencies to use Section 702 powers without warrant restrictions.

“If law enforcement wants to look at American citizens’ emails, they must get a warrant as the Constitution requires,” House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said during a December 2025 congressional hearing.

The Section 702 statute was never intended to apply to American citizens, Raskin argued.

“Administrations of both parties have repeatedly abused this trove of U.S. person data. Recent audits show that [the] FBI has searched the 702 database for candidates for federal office, Black Lives Matter protesters, and federal contractors, among other Americans who ought to be better protected,” the congressman said.

—Jacob Burg

BOOKMARKS

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. military has demolished Iran’s navy and air force, but is sparing some members of the Iranian leadership and infrastructure, or “they literally would never be able to build that country back again.” The military has “hit them harder than virtually any country in history has been hit, and we’re not finished yet,” the president continued.

The human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which causes cough, fever, and nasal congestion, is making the rounds again this year. There is no available vaccine, but symptoms are typically mild. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has shifted his stance on the Senate filibuster, as he looks for Trump’s endorsement in his primary runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “After careful consideration, I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the SAVE America Act and homeland security funding past the Democrats’ obstruction, through the Senate, and on the president’s desk for his signature,” Cornyn wrote in an op-ed.

The Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a new platform that makes it easier to report side effects from drugs and vaccines. The previous systems were “clunky,” “fragmented,” and “wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and created blind spots in our postmarket surveillance of products ranging from drugs and vaccines to cosmetics,” Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA’s commissioner, said in a statement.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has restarted the Global Entry program, despite the ongoing partial government shutdown. Global Entry allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to use expedited kiosks when entering the United States from abroad, saving them time at airports and other ports of entry. 

—Stacy Robinson