Himes Statement on FISA 702 Reauthorization"Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is our nation’s most important and most rigorously overseen foreign intelligence collection tool..."

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is our nation’s most important and most rigorously overseen foreign intelligence collection tool. It is used every single day to thwart terrorist attacks, to stop fentanyl traffickers and to identify foreign spies.  While I have always championed reform, including the many reforms put into place two years ago, allowing this authority to expire would put the American people at severe risk. In 2024, Congress instituted 56 reforms to enhance oversight of this program, and since then we have seen zero evidence of intentional abuse. I am open to making further reforms to Section 702, and a short-term reauthorization will enable Congress to thoroughly debate the pros and cons of these suggested reforms—and to determine if compromise is possible—without placing our national security in peril by allowing the program to expire.