In a striking blow to constitutional rights, eighty-six House Republicans recently turned their backs on the fundamental principles of privacy and due process. This betrayal unfolded as they voted against an amendment proposed by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) to the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA).
Warrant? Who needs a stinkin’ warrant?
The proposed amendment sought to mandate a warrant for surveillance of Americans’ communications, a basic safeguard against unchecked government intrusion.
The bill in question, the RISAA, reauthorizes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a law ostensibly designed to target foreign adversaries but ends up (especially in the hands of Democrats in power) sweeping up Americans’ private communications without the necessary legal safeguards, such as obtaining a warrant.
Americans overwhelmingly support a warrant requirement.
Despite widespread public support for a warrant requirement, evidenced by a YouGov poll [1] commissioned by FreedomWorks and Demand Progress which found that a whopping 76% of Americans are in favor of such protections, these eighty-six House Republicans opted to disregard the will of the people and the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
Notably, only one member of House Republican leadership, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R- MN), stood with the majority of the House Republican Conference in supporting warrants requirements. The amendment tied with a vote in the House of 212-212 which means the measure failed.
Overall, the entire bill was approved by lawmakers with a 273-147 vote. The Biden administration has backed the measure for years, saying it’s an effective measure to fight terrorism (and Trump).
Trump is on the side of the Constitution even though Republicans in the House aren’t.
Trump had told the Republicans on Truth Social, “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!”
But no one seems to care about warrants or spying.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) all voted against the warrant requirement, betraying their duty to uphold the Constitution and protect the rights of American citizens.
The shift in Speaker Johnson’s stance, from previously supporting closing the backdoor search loophole to opposing it, changed after seeing a classified briefing after he became speaker.
Sad day for America.
Conservatives and progressives alike have decried the failure of congressional leadership to prioritize genuine privacy reform. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) lamented the demise of constitutional safeguards saying, “This is how the Constitution dies. By a tie vote, the amendment to require a warrant to spy on Americans goes down in flames. This is a sad day for America.”
The bill now heads to the Senate to get authorization before their spying powers expire on April 19th.