Last week, House GOP leadership introduced its FISA Section 702 reauthorization bill that would extend the program through October 2027.

A new blog post from Patrick Eddington, a senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, details how the FISA reauthorization introduced by House Republicans does not prevent future abuses of this surveillance program, writing in part:

“Congress is being asked to grant a clean 18-month reauthorization based on classified threat vignettes produced by the agencies seeking reauthorization, evaluated by an oversight board that has been politically gutted, with the internal compliance watchdog that would catch abuses abolished, in a context where sensitive FBI searches of Americans’ communications tripled last year with no explanation, while a senator with an excellent predictive track record on surveillance abuses warns that the Section 702 program is operating under a secret legal interpretation that would “stun” the American public if declassified.”

To speak with Eddington on FISA reauthorization, contact Christopher Tarvardian.