Late on April 20, the U.S. Senate voted on the reauthorization of a controversial spying authority, which was subsequently signed into law by President Joe Biden the following day.
The authority in question, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years from privacy and civil liberty advocates following a series of abuses.
Despite the rejection of several amendments aimed at bolstering civil liberty protections, including an amendment by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to mandate a warrant for searches of Americans’ Section 702 data, and another by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to prevent federal law enforcement agencies from purchasing Americans’ data from third-party brokers, the Senate reauthorized the program just 45 minutes after it lapsed.
The legislation, extending FISA Section 702 for two years, passed the Senate in a 60–34 vote, narrowly meeting the 60-vote threshold required for final passage.
Six senators—Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)—were absent from the vote.
Here is a breakdown of how the remaining U.S. Senators voted on this contentious authority:
For Reauthorization (60 votes):
[Insert list of senators who voted for reauthorization here]
Against Reauthorization (34 votes):
[Insert list of senators who voted against reauthorization here]
The reauthorization of FISA Section 702 has reignited debates surrounding surveillance and civil liberties, with advocates on both sides of the issue continuing to voice their concerns.
