House Democrats Block Vote on FISA Extension

The House’s lack of action meant that at midnight on Feb. 16, the nation’s terrorist surveillance law expired. At that moment, intelligence officials who spend their days listening in on phone calls between terrorists overseas were legally barred from following new leads without first following outdated and cumbersome warrant procedures – even if neither caller is calling from within the U.S. The consequences of inaction are real. Today, if someone in a previously unknown terror cell calls an eager new recruit in London, our agents will have to hang up the phone, apply for a warrant and hope for the best.