House passes FISA renewal without added warrant mandate for US data [Video]

A bill to renew a key federal government surveillance tool, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), passed the House of Representatives on Friday, about a week before it is set to expire.

However, House Freedom Caucus conservatives and their allies have blocked the bill from heading to the Senate. In the dramatic moments after its passage, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., raised a procedural measure objecting to the final vote count, which was then countered by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio.

Now, the House must vote on whether to reconsider passage of Section 702 on Monday, shortening the Senate’s timeline to consider the bill before its expiry on April 19.

HOUSE COMMITTEE SETS UP VOTE TO EXPAND SECTION 702 OF FISA FOR 2 YEARS

A modified version of the original bill passed a procedural hurdle …