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Top Intelligence Democrat Says GOP Should Renew Spy Program Before Democrats Take Over
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has urged Republicans to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before the current Congress ends. The provision allows US intelligence agencies to collect electronic communications of people outside the country without a warrant; it lapsed in June. Himes argues the programme is important to national security, while civil liberties groups warn that renewing it now would preserve broad surveillance powers for the Trump administration.
Himes says the next reauthorisation, expected early next year under a Democratic-led Congress, would look very different, and he has described Section 702 as rigorously overseen. He is due to become committee chair in January and has promised scrutiny of intelligence operations, contractor donations to Trump projects and possible pressure on analysts. A coalition including the ACLU and Demand Progress has called for reauthorisation to wait, citing past surveillance of protesters, elected officials and journalists; seven Republicans opposed renewal earlier this year.
In short
- Jim Himes wants Republicans to renew Section 702 before Congress changes hands.
- The surveillance provision lapsed in June and permits warrantless collection of overseas communications.
- Civil liberties groups want Congress to defer renewal until next year.
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The case for
Renewing Section 702 before the current Congress ends would restore a tool intelligence agencies say is important for identifying foreign threats, and avoid a lapse while a new Congress debates reforms. Supporters argue that existing oversight provides safeguards, while a later reauthorisation could still give lawmakers a chance to revise the programme.
The case against
Waiting to renew would let the incoming Congress examine the programme and negotiate stronger limits before restoring its broad collection powers. Critics argue that warrantless access to Americans’ communications can expose protesters, officials and journalists to surveillance, and that renewing now would leave the current administration with those powers in the meantime.
Explained simply
Section 702 is part of a US law that lets intelligence agencies collect electronic communications involving people outside the country without getting a warrant. Information about Americans can also be gathered when they communicate with those people, which has made the programme a focus of debate over privacy and national security.
Jim Himes is the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which oversees US intelligence agencies; Republicans currently control the House. The committee’s chair helps guide its investigations and scrutiny of the agencies, and Himes is due to take that role when Democrats lead the committee.
Supporters say the programme helps the US identify threats, while civil liberties groups say its broad powers can affect people in the US and have been misused. The debate matters because renewing the law would shape what surveillance agencies can do and what safeguards apply.
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