Wednesday, May 27, 2020

House FISA bill suddenly on life support

House Democratic leaders say they still intend to vote on the measure this week, but it's suddenly unclear if it can muster the 218 votes needed to clear the chamber - despite an earlier version of the bill winning 278 votes in March.

GOP leaders who had supported the bill immediately reversed their positions, with House Minority Leader calling on Democratic leaders to pull the bill.

ADVERTISEMENT. It's unlikely Democrats could get the bill through their House without GOP support.

The initial bill that passed the House in March garnered just 152 votes from Democrats.

The initial bill was negotiated by Attorney General and House leaders and earned the support of some of Trump's biggest allies on Capitol Hill, including Rep. and Sen. Asked if Trump would sign the bill if it reached his desk, Jordan sidestepped during a House Rules Committee markup on Wednesday but said that Trump was "Frustrated by this process."

The Senate, during its debate earlier this month, changed the bill by adding language to provide additional legal protections for some FISA warrant applications, forcing the bill to go back to the House.

Wyden initially released a statement praising the Lofgren-Davidson measure but pulled his support following comments from Rep., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who was involved in developing the House amendment text.

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