Trump signs stopgap FISA extension after Senate blocks long-term renewal

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke to the media at the U.S.Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb.2, 2026, expressing hope that the White House could find a “sweet spot” in negotiations with Senate Democrats to reopen the government amid ongoing political turmoil.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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FISA allows thefederal governmentto compel phone and internet providers to provide information about foreigners using their platforms without a warrant, including communications with American citizens. 

Civil libertarians long have argued that the law undermines the privacy of Americans and potentially violates theFourth Amendment.Those working in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, meanwhile, maintain that FISA is an indispensable tool in thwarting terrorism, drug trafficking and ransomware attacks.  

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Rep.Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the House Rules Committee, is pushing for amendments to the three-year FISA renewal bill drafted by House leadership.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

More than 20 Republicans maintainedtheir opposition to the FISA extension, even with the CBDC ban attached. 

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“We should all be standing up for the Fourth Amendment,” Rep.Chip Roy, R-Texas, said during a debate over the extension Tuesday. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., meets with reporters as House Republicans advance a GOP spending bill to fund federal agencies through Sept.30 at the Capitol in Washington, March 11, 2025.(J.Scott Applewhite/AP)

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Republican leadership included the CBDC ban to appease conservative holdouts concerned that a government-issued digital dollar could expand federal visibility into Americans’ transactions.