Several House Republicans are asserting the need for Congress to reconsider the renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) set to expire by year’s end, citing a necessary reduction of government intrusion into the lives of U.S. citizens.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a staunch advocate for the preservation of individual liberties, highlighted an increasing apprehension among the public over the potentially excessive power centralized in the hands of the national security apparatus.
“I think most folks are increasingly concerned about centralized power with our national security apparatus, given how political they’ve become,” Gaetz explained to Fox News Digital.
The congressman, who is introducing a resolution on Tuesday to end FISA, insisted on the bipartisan nature of this infringement.
“I take great lengths in my legislation to point out that it’s both left-wing groups like BLM, and it’s also folks who were at the Capitol on January 6, who have seen their rights unfairly violated by FISA, and I’m equally aggrieved by both,” Gaetz stated.
Section 702 of FISA, which authorizes the surveillance of non-U.S. citizens overseas, has sparked concern. When U.S. citizens appear in these investigations, the FBI takes charge and can probe them for potential security threats.
However, the FBI confessed in May to having unjustifiably conducted warrantless searches on Americans upwards of 278,000 times in 2021, including January 6 protestors and George Floyd demonstrators.
Despite assurances from the FBI of implementing measures to prevent such “unacceptable” surveillance, Gaetz and his supporters are proposing the complete termination of FISA as the ideal solution.
As FISA’s expiry looms at the close of December, Congress must decide on its possible extension this year. Gaetz’s resolution will urge his peers not to renew the law, with support from his co-sponsors, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Paul Gosar and Eli Crane of Arizona, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
Established in 1978 in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, FISA was initially enacted to monitor Americans suspected of engaging with foreign agents. Its mandate was widened following the September 11 attacks through the Patriot Act and has been extended and marginally modified by Congress multiple times.
Gaetz criticized the dilution of the act’s robust warrant prerequisites, blaming key figures like Liz Cheney for weakening the requirements.
He argued, “Since that time, and during this period of authorization, we’ve seen more than a million illegal FISA searches. We’ve seen creepy behavior like FBI officials searching information on their exes. And we’ve seen a total lack of oversight from the court.”
Despite criticism of FISA from both ends of the political spectrum, Gaetz’s resolution is currently backed solely by GOP figures. However, he emphasized that concerns regarding government overreach transcend party lines.
“I have talked to a number of progressives in the past. We’ve been able to work with civil libertarian-minded progressives like Ro Khanna and Jerry Nadler, Zoe Lofgren,” he mentioned, expressing hope that both sides can come together against the misuse of power.
FISA’s future promises to be a focal point in the upcoming House hearing on Wednesday with FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Gaetz and Massie, among Wray’s most outspoken critics, are expected to voice their concerns regarding the perceived politicization of the Justice Department (DOJ).
While the administration consistently insists that the DOJ operates free from political influence, there has been increasing speculation on whether that is entirely true.
