Key US spy program faces collapse threat as House vote fails over Pulte backlash
Q: Is it time for President Trump to pull back his appointment of Bill Pulte to let this critical FISA tool be renewed?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 11, 2026
MIKE JOHNSON: The president of the United States is fulfilling his responsibility. Everybody in the press should be chasing every Democrat and asking them… pic.twitter.com/hh2gVEedVx
WASHINGTON, DC: Section 702 of the key spy program, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), faces uncertain prospects as House Republicans on Thursday, June 11, failed to secure enough Democratic votes for a short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless spy powers.
The key framework is on the verge of a total shutdown following persistent pushback from Democrats over President Donald Trump’s decision to elevate housing regulator Bill Pulte to acting director of National Intelligence.
FISA renewal failed amid bipartisan opposition
During the House voting on Thursday, the lower chamber left for a scheduled recess the day before they were set to expire. The bill would have extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through July 2 had the bill received enough votes.
The vote failed 198-218, with seven Democrats voting in favor of the short-term extension and 19 Republicans voting against it.
The week-long recess and partisan gridlock leave the spy program set to expire. The failure of the bill has put the country in a legal gray area as to whether it can continue surveillance of foreign targets.
Two-thirds of the votes were needed to pass the legislation under a fast-track process. Besides the opposition from Democrats, the dynamics were difficult within the GOP as well, as many members have also demanded reforms to the spy program.
Mike Johnson dismissed need for another FISA vote
When asked about whether the House will sit again to vote on FISA again, Speaker Mike Johnson asked, “What would be the point?”
“We passed a three-year extension on April 29. It is sitting in the hopper over there as a live bill,” Johnson began, adding that the short-term extension featured no changes to the law, yet the 199 Democrats voted against the bill.
Johnson further said that Democrats “applauded themselves as they left the building.”
Here’s the FULL quote — with context that the media REFUSES to include — from @SpeakerJohnson ⬇️
— Speaker Johnson War Room (@speakerwarroom) June 11, 2026
“Now, the question has just been asked, would I bring everyone back to vote on FISA again. I'm gonna ask you to answer the question yourselves. What would be the point? We passed a… https://t.co/baWeiQpEBX pic.twitter.com/lHv84Z3iDe
“What would be the point of me going through this exercise over and over? The House has done every single thing,” he said.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan argued during debate on Wednesday that lawmakers needed a three-week extension to continue negotiations and prevent Section 702 from expiring.
Democrats raised concerns over Bill Pulte's actions
Democrats in both the House and Senate, however, have said they will not support extending the surveillance authority while it would be overseen by Bill Pulte, whom President Trump has tapped to serve as acting director of national intelligence beginning June 19.
A similar effort to quickly advance a short-term extension in the Senate also stalled after Democrats signaled they would oppose the measure.
Pulte, who is expected to retain his position as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has drawn scrutiny after referring criminal charges against four individuals viewed as political opponents of Trump.
"The apparent motivation for his elevation is the demonstrated willingness of Bill Pulte to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump’s chosen political enemies," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top House Democratic leaders said in a joint statement Thursday morning ahead of the vote.
