Congress Is Dropping the Ball with a Clean Extension of FISA

Mar 20, 2026 · 491 words · By India McKinney

Original article: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/congress-dropping-ball-clean-extension-fis…

Topics

Civil liberties and privacy rights Government surveillance oversight Leg뗄 reform advocacy

Detected Techniques

Loaded Language (confidence: 85%)

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Flag-Waving (confidence: 90%)

Exploiting patriotic or group feelings to justify or promote an action.

Repetition (confidence: 75%)

Repeating a message until it is accepted as truth.

Fact-Check Results

“Two years ago, Congress passed the 'Reforming Intelligence and Securing America' Act (RISAA) that included nominal reforms to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm or refute the claim about RISAA's passage and reforms to Section 702.

“Section 702 authorities were only extended for two years, allowing Congress to continue the important work of negotiating a warrant requirement for Americans as well as some other critical reforms.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify the two-year extension or Congress's negotiation activities regarding Section 702.

“Congress is poised to consider another extension of this program without even attempting to include necessary and common sense reforms.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to assess Congress's current plans for Section 702 extension or reform inclusion.

“House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that 'the plan is to move a clean extension of FISA … for at least 18 months.'”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm House Speaker Mike Johnson's statements about FISA extension timelines.

“House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan stated he would vote for a clean extension of FISA, claiming that RISAA included enough reforms for the moment.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan's statements about RISAA reforms and voting intentions.

“RISAA was just a reauthorization of this mass surveillance program with a long history of abuse.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm RISAA's characterization as a reauthorization with a history of abuse.

“Prior to the 2024 reauthorization, Section 702 was already misused to run improper queries on peaceful protesters, federal and state lawmakers, Congressional staff, thousands of campaign donors, journalists, and a judge reporting civil rights violations by local police.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify claims about Section 702 misuse prior to 2024.

“RISAA further expanded the government’s authority by allowing it to compel a much larger group of people and providers into assisting with this surveillance.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to assess RISAA's expansion of government surveillance authority.

“There are currently three reform bills for Congress to consider: SAFE, PLEWSA, and GSRA.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm the existence or status of the three reform bills (SAFE, PLEWSA, GSRA).

“Mass spying—accessing a massive amount of communications by and with Americans first and sorting out targets second and secretly—has always been a problem for our rights.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify claims about mass spying under Section 702 and its impact on civil rights.

“Congress established Section 702 for regular reconsideration, which has not occurred despite changes in NSA, Justice Department, and FBI leadership.”

❓ PENDING

“Congress was right that this surveillance is dangerous, and that's why it set Section 702 up for regular reconsideration.”