The House Democratic leader on Thursday said his troops won’t come to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s aid to salvage a bill to reauthorize the government’s chief spying powers.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had a curt answer when asked by a reporter if Democrats would help advance the bill that was derailed Wednesday or if Mr. Johnson had reached out to him about it.
“No and no,” he said.
A contingent of 19 Republicans and 209 Democrats voted to block the bill that would renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 which allows the U.S. to intercept electronic communication of foreigners abroad but sometimes scoops up American’s data.
The FISA power will expire on April 19 if Congress doesn’t act.
While the 19 Republican rebels have had the spotlight on them for sinking the bill, nearly every House Democrat voted to block the bill from getting a floor vote.
Typically, lawmakers in the minority party do not vote in favor of advancing legislation from the majority party. Despite members on both sides of the aisle proselytizing on the national security implications that allowing FISA to sunset would have, Democrats did not break from Washington’s partisan status quo.
According to Mr. Jeffries, New York Democrat, that won’t change.
FISA has become a lightning rod for division among Republicans and Democrats with both parties’ privacy hawks and national security hawks facing off on how to revamp the government’s spying powers.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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