House Republicans are urging Democrats to pull a measure to extend three expired federal surveillance provisions scheduled for votes beginning Wednesday.
“It won’t be signed into law,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned at a press conference outside the Capitol on Wednesday.
Democrats scheduled votes on extending parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired earlier this year, but lawmakers in both parties say it tramples on privacy rights, and the Department of Justice has recommended that President Trump veto the measure if it makes it to his desk.
The California Republican called House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday to urge him to pull the bill. “I think we should take a deep breath,” McCarthy said. “Let’s work through the differences.”
House Republicans said the new proxy voting scheme approved by Democrats threatens the legitimacy of any bill passed on the House floor.
“Whatever the Democrats propose to bring up cannot become law,” McCarthy said.
The GOP sued Democrats in federal court Tuesday in an effort to block a new proxy voting rule that allows each lawmaker present in the chamber to vote for up to 10 absent lawmakers.
So far, 65 Democrats will vote by proxy beginning Wednesday, according to records provided by the House clerk.
Democrats, as of Wednesday afternoon, plan to advance the FISA legislation regardless of GOP criticism, according to the newly released floor schedule.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, introduced an amendment to the FISA bill that is aimed at ensuring federal law enforcement cannot spy on U.S. citizens.
The provision, according to Lofgren, prohibits the government from using the FISA law to collect “the websites that a U.S. person visits, the videos that a U.S. person watches, or the search queries that a U.S. person makes.”
The amendment is co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio.
Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat and leading privacy rights proponent in the Senate, announced he will not support extending the FISA provisions with the Lofgren-Davidson amendment because statements provided to the New York Times by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff indicate the amendment still permits dragnet collection of online activity.
Trump is opposed to the bill. In a Tuesday tweet, Trump cited the surveillance of his campaign and transition team that was conducted by the Obama Justice Department, which is now under investigation.
“I hope all Republican House Members vote NO on FISA until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place!” Trump tweeted.
