WASHINGTON, D.C., (April 10, 2024) – Today, U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) voted against the rule to bring H.R. 7320, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act to the floor for a vote. The bill would reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for five years and provide some reforms.
The vote failed 193-228.
“FISA has been weaponized by our government to spy on Americans and needs some drastic reforms before we even consider its reauthorization. This bill doesn’t do nearly enough, and we can see that clearly because it provides a different set of rules for members of Congress than everyday Americans. If the bill is good enough for the American people, it should be good enough for us. I cannot justify voting to consider the bill until there are much more serious reforms to the legislation that protect Americans’ constitutional rights. As it is, shut it down.”
Since the rule failed, the House of Representatives has the option to pass the bill under suspension of the rules, which would require a higher threshold (2/3 majority) to pass the House.
The full text of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act can be found here.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burchett-votes-against-fisa-reauthorization-rule