Speaker Mike Johson (R-LA) backtracked and caved to the deep state and Democrats, moving to slip a deep state authorization into the defense bill.
Reports say that congressional leaders, including Johnson, agreed to put an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill would extend Section 702 until April 19.
This frustrated many conservatives, including those who were supposed to be instrumental in crafting the final texts for the NDAA.
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) released a video statement after she said that leadership asked conferees, which includes herself, to agree to the 3000-plus page NDAA, which is “being released behind closed doors without even getting time to read it!”
The Peach State conservative blamed Johnson for negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to “cut a deal” that would contain prohibitions against funding for abortion and “trans surgery prohibitions” that were in the House-passed NDAA under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
She explained:
It also would pass a CLEAN FISA extension. Not to mention, more of your taxpayer dollars sent to Ukraine to fund the proxy war. No member of the NDAA conference had any influence on this process. It was done in secret meetings with no input from conferees. Now, we’re supposed to just grin and take it with no say in the final bill. Is the GOP really going to fund abortion vacations and trans surgeries, fund the Ukraine war, all with a CLEAN FISA extension under Speaker Johnson?
This was a total sell-out of conservative principles and a huge win for Democrats.
Congratulations to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, you should all be excited to vote for this!
I’m a HELL NO! [Emphasis added]
The news comes as a shock to many of those who were most intimately involved in crafting solutions to reform Section 702, a controversial surveillance law that Republicans and Democrats, progressives and conservatives, want to reform.
“I wish that wasn’t the case. I was encouraging people to just wait for both bills… the Intel is marking theirs up tomorrow. Ours is ready now,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said.
The House Judiciary Committee advanced their legislation, the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act. The House Intelligence Committee plans to mark up their proposed bill on Thursday.
The move by Speaker Johnson and other congressional leaders to put a FISA extension in the bill removes leverage for those who want to reform the surveillance law and robs those of this historic chance to reform Section 702.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who led a letter with 53 other members urging leadership not to include Section 702 in the NDAA, said, “Adding Section 702 of FISA to the NDAA not only undermines the American people who oppose warrantless mass surveillance, this action would jeopardize our ability to pass a strong national defense package.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) wrote, “So the @HouseGOP is going to work with Democrats to pass a crappy, watered down NDAA (losing most of the stuff we fought for – abortion, transgender, CRT/DEI) along with an almost 4 month continuation of FISA (spying on Americans with no reforms yet)? #NameOneThing”
James Czerniawksi, a senior policy analyst at Americans for Prosperity (AFP), wrote, “Rep. Davidson is absolutely right. Putting a short term reauth in the NDAA jeopardizes it. Doing so allows the litany of documented abuses of this authority to continue. Americans aren’t okay with that outcome. This Congress can and should take the opportunity to #FixFISA.”
Watch: Jim Jordan: There are 204k Reasons to Oppose FISA Reauthorization
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.