Congress passes 45-day FISA extension, sends to Trump for signature

An earlier extension of the program would have expired at midnight Thursday.April 30, 2026, 6:37 PMSpeaker of the House Mike Johnson takes questions at a news conference following a closed-door GOP meeting at the Capitol in Washington, April 21, 2026.J. Scott Applewhite/APThe House on Thursday passed a 45-day extension of the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act (FISA) Section 702 by a vote of 261-111, sending the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature just hours before an earlier short-term extension would have expired at midnight.Earlier Thursday, the Senate unanimously approved a 45-day extension of the surveillance program. The House passed a three-year extension of FISA on Wednesday, but its version included a controversial Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) provision that many Republican senators oppose. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday the Senate would be unable to move the House's proposal and would instead advance the clean reauthorization it took up today.Ahead of the bill's passage, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden announced that a letter cosigned by Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton and Vice Chairman Mark Warner would be sent to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche insisting on a declassification and public release of