FISA spying power scheduled to expire as House fails to extend it before leaving town

FISA Section 702, a warrantless surveillance tool, is set to lapse as Congress fights with President Donald Trump about Bill Pulte, the acting Director of National Intelligence.

WASHINGTON — A powerful surveillance tool backed by the intelligence community is scheduled to expire Friday after the House failed to pass an extension and left town for 12 days.

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It would be the first time Congress has allowed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to lapse since the law passed in 2008. It grants the government powers to spy on foreign nationals living abroad as part of counterterrorism efforts without requiring warrants.

Congress has struggled for months to reach a deal that placates privacy hawks on the left and the right, who demand restraints they say are necessary to prevent the law from being abused. They argue that there are insufficient guardrails on the government’s sweeping up private information about Americans.