Congress kicks the can down the road on surveillance law (again) | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congress averted a midnight expiration of Section 702 on Thursday, passing a 45-day extension of the controversial warrantless surveillance law. The short-term reprieve follows a deal to declassify a court ruling on "major compliance problems" as lawmakers struggle to reach a permanent agreement.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/congress-extends-section-702-surveillance-45-days\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Congress kicks the can down the road on surveillance law (again)\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congress averted a midnight expiration of Section 702 on Thursday, passing a 45-day extension of the controversial warrantless surveillance law. The short-term reprieve follows a deal to declassify a court ruling on "major compliance problems" as lawmakers struggle to reach a permanent agreement.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/congress-extends-section-702-surveillance-45-days\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cyberscoop\/\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-30T20:53:35+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-30T20:53:38+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Starks\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" 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class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.271428571429\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.387179487179\">\n<p> It\u2019s the second extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 10 days, and a regular ritual for the Hill. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/88812\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Republican leadership following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner\/Anadolu via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"29.575605155611\"><body readability=\"61.575757575758\"><\/p>\n<p>Congress extended a controversial surveillance law for 45 days on Thursday, hours before its latest expiration following an earlier extension.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DSenFloor\/status\/2049929501937705099?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet\">The Senate passed<\/a> \u2014 then the House cleared \u2014 a 45-day extension of <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/section-702-fisa-surveillance-law-renewal-congress-debate\/\">Section 702<\/a> of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign targets. But those targets are sometimes communicating electronically with Americans, and intelligence officials can search the database using their identifying information, which has long given privacy groups and privacy-minded lawmakers heartburn.<\/p>\n<p>The 45-day reprieve gives lawmakers more time to hammer out a lasting deal, and comes after the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee agreed to send a letter to the Director of National Intelligence and attorney general, seeking swift declassification of a letter on a classified ruling from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., had sought release of that opinion, and had resisted giving unanimous consent for the latest short-term extension to move forward until Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and top panel Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia agreed to send the letter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A declassification review was already underway, but the Cotton-Warner letter states that \u201cWe expect that this declassification review will be completed and the FISC opinion released publicly within 15 days,\u201d according to Wyden, speaking on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n<p>The March 17 opinion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/09\/us\/politics\/section-702-surveillance-fisa.html\">reportedly came<\/a> with annual recertification of the warrantless surveillance program. The Justice Department is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/16\/us\/politics\/fisa-ruling-appeal.html\">appealing that ruling<\/a> because it blocked them from using certain tools to analyze communications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few weeks ago, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court found major compliance problems related to the surveillance law known as section 702,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyden.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/wyden-statement-on-revelation-of-major-compliance-problems-with-fisa-section-702-surveillance\">Wyden said earlier this month<\/a>. \u201cThese compliance problems are directly related to Americans\u2019 Constitutional rights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the extension will give lawmakers additional room to hold \u201cdiscussion on reforms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The House this week had passed a 3-year reauthorization with <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/section-702-fisa-reauthorization-bill-leaves-critics-unimpressed\/\">some changes<\/a> to the surveillance program, but key to doing so was leadership\u2019s agreement to attach legislative language on a separate matter that would ban a central bank digital currency. Thune had said that language was going nowhere in the Senate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Thursday, the House voted 261-111 to extend the law for 45 days. President Donald Trump has sought a \u201cclean\u201d 18-month reauthorization of the surveillance powers.<\/p>\n<p>The extension continues a perennial ritual for the Hill when it comes to Section 702: A deadline looms, and Congress kicks the can down the road repeatedly.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":8598,"date":"2026-04-30T15:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T20:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=88812"},"modified":"2026-04-30T15:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T20:53:35","slug":"congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/30\/congress-kicks-the-can-down-the-road-on-surveillance-law-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress kicks the can down the road on surveillance law (again)"},"content":{"rendered":"