House Republicans on Thursday will move forward on what’s expected to be a futile effort to extend a key spy authority until early July, after President Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence rattled lawmakers.
The authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, is set to expire Friday after Congress has twice punted on the issue since the original deadline in April.
The lower chamber is planning to vote on another short-term extension Thursday morning that would push back the deadline to July 2. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, fast-tracked the measure, meaning it will need two-thirds majority support for passage. It’s all but certain to fail.
“I certainly hope that everyone will do the right thing, put politics aside, for a short-term extension. We’re not asking for anything heroic here,” Johnson said Wednesday.
Mr. Trump upended a bipartisan compromise to renew Section 702 for three years when he announced his decision last week to appoint housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. In the role, Pulte will oversee all of the nation’s spy agencies.
