President Trump on Wednesday called on Congress to approve a short-term extension of the Section 702 foreign surveillance program, which is set to expire at the end of the week, as controversy over his acting intelligence chief complicates the renewal effort.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged lawmakers to vote to extend the program, which allows the government to collect intelligence on foreigners overseas using U.S. communication systems but also incidentally sweeps up data on Americans communicating with those targets. Congressional authorization for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is poised to lapse Friday.
Trump also stood by his appointment of incoming acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, who has drawn criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who say he lacks the qualifications for the role. Trump confirmed in his social-media post that he has asked Pulte to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing” of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The president said he would continue to search for a permanent nominee with national security experience, adding that he is interviewing five people for the job.
Pulte, who currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is set to begin his acting intelligence role on June 19, Trump has said. The president told The Wall Street Journal in an interview last week that he expected Pulte to make sweeping cuts to the agency and even consider trying to shut it down entirely.
The appointment has become a major obstacle to FISA reauthorization. Senate Democrats have made clear they will not vote to advance the surveillance measure unless Pulte is removed from the intelligence post, citing concerns that he would politicize the agency. An initial procedural vote on FISA failed in the Senate last week after some Republicans joined Democrats in objecting to the measure.
While Republicans control the Senate 53-47, they need 60 votes to reauthorize the program under the chamber’s rules. The current deadlock leaves the program’s future uncertain as the Friday deadline approaches.
Congress previously passed a short-term extension of Section 702 in April, which is now running out. The program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support despite recurring civil-liberties concerns over the incidental collection of Americans’ communications. The inability to reach a longer-term agreement reflects deepening disagreements over both the scope of surveillance authorities and the leadership of the intelligence community.
Trump has been meeting with Republican leaders in recent days to discuss both the Pulte controversy and the FISA impasse, according to people familiar with the discussions.