Wyden Speech After House Defeats Straight Reauthorization of FISA 702: “I have never seen such bipartisan, bicameral demand for real reform”

April 17, 2026 Wyden Speech After House Defeats Straight Reauthorization of FISA 702: “I have never seen such bipartisan, bicameral demand for real reform” As prepared for delivery Americans understand that every single day there are abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. And the reality is, a growing number of Democrats and Republicans are now saying that a straight extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act law is absolutely unacceptable in any way, shape, or form. So it is clear it is time for real reforms to protect Americans from warrantless surveillance by a government that they rightly do not trust. So for the last hour or so, I have been speaking to colleagues in the other body of the House. And they have told me, unequivocally, that this short-term extension makes reform more likely and expiration makes reform less likely. But make no mistake about it, opponents of reform have shown no willingness, for years and years, to negotiate meaningful reform. And those of us in a bipartisan, bicameral way who have insisted that this time will be different want to emphasize that this morning. The reality is that the country believes that security and liberty are not mutually exclusive. We can have both. A good bill that we are insisting on will do that. A bad bill will give us less security and less liberty. So I hope that opponents of reform are going to understand what is going on in the Congress and in the country and start talking about what is genuinely good reform and what it would look like. I will say that I am now the longest serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and I have never seen the concern on both sides of the aisle, that is bicameral, for real reform. So I have talked to my colleagues in the House, and their views have been particularly important because they have told us about their work last night and what it means for real reform. And we are going to be following that here every single day because Ben Franklin said--you are going to hear me talk about that--anybody who gives up their liberty for security doesn't deserve either. We are going to insist on it. ### Print Email Tweet Next Article Previous Article