House Republicans failed Thursday to secure enough Democratic votes to pass a short-term extension of the nation's warrantless surveillance powers, sending the lower chamber into a scheduled recess just a day before the authority is set to lapse. The bill would have extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through July 2, but Democrats refused to back the reauthorization, citing President Trump's decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence (DNI).
The measure fell 198-218, with only seven Democrats voting in favor and 19 Republicans opposing it. The failure leaves Section 702 poised to expire, creating legal uncertainty about whether the government can continue surveillance of foreign targets. The House immediately departed for a week-long recess, deepening the partisan gridlock.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) expressed frustration after the vote. When asked if he would recall the House to vote again, he replied, “What would be the point?” He noted that the House had already passed a three-year extension on April 29, which remains pending in the Senate. “Just now, I attempted to pass a short term extension for three weeks, clean extension, no changes to the law, just to make sure that the people are not subjected to great harm, and the Democrats — 199 of them — voted against it and applauded themselves as they left the building,” Johnson said. “The House has done every single thing.”
Johnson needed a two-thirds majority under fast-track procedures, but he also faced internal GOP resistance from members demanding reforms to the spy program. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a former critic of Section 702, framed the short-term bill as a way to “continue to hammer it out” and prevent the powers from going dark.
Democrats in both chambers, however, made clear they would not approve any extension that would be available to Pulte, whom Trump announced will take the DNI post on June 19 while retaining his role as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Pulte has used his FHFA position to refer criminal charges against four Trump adversaries, raising concerns about politicization of intelligence powers. A parallel effort to fast-track a short extension in the Senate also stalled Wednesday after Democrats signaled they would object.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other top House Democrats issued a joint statement Thursday morning, arguing that Pulte lacks national security experience and that his appointment “is in defiance of the law that requires the Director of National Intelligence to have ‘extensive’ national security experience.” They added that “the apparent motivation for his elevation is the demonstrated willingness of Bill Pulte to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump’s chosen political enemies.”
During Wednesday night’s debate, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, blasted the GOP for drafting the bill just an hour prior. He said Pulte’s appointment made it “even more obvious that he intends to use FISA to investigate, harass and persecute his political opponents,” noting Pulte has “no national security experience. Zero. Zilch. None.” Raskin also referenced Pulte’s creation of “personal mortgage dossiers” on Trump’s enemies.
House Intelligence Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) accused Democrats of wanting to “play political chicken with an essential national security tool.” He warned of an elevated threat level with the FIFA World Cup beginning this week, the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence, and the 25th commemoration of the September 11th attacks. Crawford stressed that Pulte would not have direct 702 query authority, arguing that “the DNI has no 702 query authority either. [Democrats] know that to be true and yet continue on this personality conflict.”
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee who had previously backed short-term extensions, said he was encouraged by an expected Senate proposal with more safeguards but that it failed to advance because of Pulte. “Here we are on the verge of a great deal,” Himes said, “and then the president of the United States decides that Bill Pulte, a man who’s never held a security clearance, a man who I’m not sure two days ago could have told you what the initials DNI stand for. A man who has distinguished himself in the role he currently has as an attack dog, to go after the political enemies – that gets thrown in. And we’re asked for yet more indulgence.”
The standoff leaves the surveillance program in limbo, with both parties blaming each other for the impasse. For more on the broader political dynamics, see GOP Rushes FISA Extension as Dem Fury Over Pulte DNI Appointment Grows. The controversy also echoes earlier tensions over renewal stalling amid GOP leaders blocking reform votes.
