A warrantless wiretap law is about to expire — but surveillance networks aren’t actually ‘going dark’

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 09: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a news conference following the passage a $70 billion legislation to fund immigration enforcement at the U.S. Capitol on June 09, 2026 in Washington, DC. The bill will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Customs and Border Protection agencies for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Congress has failed to pass a three-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), with the House voting 218-198 against reauthorizing the controversial warrantless wiretapping authority through July 2nd. After a short-term extension earlier this year, the spying program now appears set to lapse for at least a week. This is the nightmare scenario FISA’s proponents have been warning about – but it doesn’t actually mean the US has lost its surveillance capabilities.

Proponents of a clean extension claim a lapse will hinder intelligence agencies’ efforts to thwart potential terrorist attacks, with surveillan …

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