Congress Stalls as FISA Surveillance Powers Face December Deadline
The US Congress remains deadlocked over the future of FISA Section 702 surveillance powers. Debates have dragged on for months, with competing bills failing to gain traction before the programme's December 2025 expiry. Lawmakers now face pressure to agree on even a short-term fix.
The dispute began in earnest last autumn. In October 2025, the House Judiciary Committee put forward H.R. 8588, the Reforming Government Surveillance Act. This bill proposed stricter warrant rules and broader reforms to the surveillance programme.
A month later, the House Intelligence Committee countered with H.R. 7415, the Protect America Act. Their version sought a clean six-month extension with no changes. Meanwhile, in January 2026, the Senate Intelligence Committee introduced S. 995, the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act. This middle-ground proposal combined limited reforms with an extension to 2028. Yet by March 2026, none of these bills had reached a floor vote. Partisan divisions and disagreements over reform scope left the process stalled. No committee has finalised bill text or scheduled a markup session. Lobbyists now suggest that significant work remains, making it unlikely that Congress will act before the current term ends.
With no clear path forward, lawmakers may settle for a temporary extension of existing surveillance rules. However, even this stopgap measure could slip into next year. The programme's long-term future remains uncertain as negotiations continue.
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