Friday, January 5, 2018

Key NSA surveillance program’s reauthorization hits roadblock in Congress

House Republicans abandoned plans on Wednesday to vote on a long-term reauthorization of a powerful government authority to conduct foreign surveillance on U.S. soil, apparently succumbing to internal party demands for time to negotiate an extension with more-stringent limitations on when authorities can access Americans’ communications.
“There isn’t any chance that a long-term FISA reauthorization has the support of the overall conference,” Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said Wednesday, referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act of 2008, which gives the National Security Agency the authority to collect emails and other communications of overseas foreign targets from U.S. companies.
Lawmakers are expected to approve a short-term extension of the surveillance authority in its current form, keeping it in place until Jan. 19 — that being the same date the short-term budget extension pending before Congress this week is set to expire.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/key-nsa-surveillance-programs-reauthorization-hits-roadblock-in-congress/2017/12/20/0640980e-e5b7-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html?utm_term=.c0c00afddbff 

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