House pulls foreign surveillance bill amid Republican opposition
Washington — House Democrats dropped plans to vote on a bill to reauthorize expired national security surveillance authorities after a majority of Republicans expressed their opposition and President Trump threatened to veto the measure.
"At the request of the speaker of the House, I am withdrawing consideration of the FISA Act," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer informed colleagues on Thursday. "The two-thirds of the Republican Party that voted for this bill in March have indicated they are going to vote against it now. I am told they are doing so at the request of the president. I believe this to be against the security interest of the United States and the safety of the American people."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president and House Republicans have "prioritized politics over our national security" by opposing the bill. The House was expected to vote on the measure on Wednesday, but Hoyer abruptly called it off late in the evening.
Mr. Trump praised House Republicans on Twitter for blocking the bill.
"Thank you to our GREAT Republican Congressmen & Congresswomen on your incredibly important blockage last night of a FISA Bill that would just perpetuate the abuse that produced the Greatest Political Crime In the History of the U.S., the Russian Witch-Hunt. Fantastic Job!" Mr. Trump wrote.
The initial bill crafted in March was the product of negotiations between Attorney General Bill Barr, the president's conservative allies in the House and House Democrats. The measure reauthorizes the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the FBI to obtain a warrant from a secretive court to conduct surveillance in national security investigations.
The House passed the initial version of the bill with Republican support. The Senate adopted an amendment adding additional oversight in the FISA court, and its version passed with bipartisan support, but the addition of the amendment meant the House would need to vote on the bill again.
Mr. Trump vowed to "quickly veto" the bill in a tweet Wednesday night, referencing a Justice Department watchdog report that had found errors in FISA court applications to surveil a Trump former campaign official. The FBI has vowed to reform its procedures for applications for the secret warrants.
"If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it. Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!" Mr. Trump wrote.
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it opposed the changes made to the bill in the Senate, as well as another amendment that was to be added in the House.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had already called on Pelosi to pull the bill because it was to take place using a vote by proxy, a controversial rule change allowing members to vote on behalf of their absent colleagues. McCarthy argued that proxy voting is unconstitutional.
Under the Constitution, the House has the authority to operate under its own rules, which Democrats argue allows for voting by proxy. House Republicans have filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia federal District Court challenging the constitutionality of proxy voting.
