Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) traveled to the White House Tuesday morning for a meeting with President Trump, as bipartisan negotiations over renewing the nation's foreign surveillance powers are thrown into turmoil by Trump's choice of Bill Pulte to lead the intelligence community.
Pulte, who currently oversees the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has no prior intelligence experience, has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) declared Monday he would oppose reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as long as Pulte remains in the acting director role. Section 702, which allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets, expires Friday.
Leaving the Capitol for the meeting, Johnson declined to say whether he would ask Trump to withdraw Pulte's nomination to salvage the FISA bill. “I’m going to go have a private conversation with him and his team on a number of topics,” Johnson told reporters.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) confirmed the meeting’s focus on FISA, telling journalists that Johnson is at the White House to discuss the path to reauthorizing the nation’s foreign spy powers. The House passed a FISA reform bill in April, but the Senate is crafting its own version. GOP leaders will need Democratic votes to pass either version.
Trump tapped Pulte as acting DNI last week, a move widely seen as part of a broader effort to investigate alleged fraud in the 2020 election. Pulte has led investigations into mortgage applications of prominent Democrats at the FHFA, raising concerns about politicizing intelligence. Trump’s selection of Pulte has further inflamed partisan tensions ahead of the FISA deadline.
When asked if reauthorization is possible with Pulte still in the role, Johnson deferred to the Senate. “We’re waiting on the Senate to move, and hoping they can come up to some agreement on all of it,” he said. “They could always just pass ours. But they’re working on something else. We’re waiting to see what product we get.”
The standoff increases the likelihood of another short-term extension. Scalise stressed the urgency, saying in a press conference: “It’s important that that program does not go dark on Friday when it expires. FISA has been used time and time again to stop terrorist attacks here on our homeland on American soil to prevent terrorist attacks, and that’s a critical, critical tool that we need to renew.”
Meanwhile, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigned last month after her husband was diagnosed with a rare cancer; she will remain in the post until June 30. Democrats plan to intensify their case against Pulte in the coming days, further complicating the legislative path.
