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WASHINGTON: US senators blocked legislation renewing a major foreign surveillance authority on Friday after President Donald Trump’s choice of a loyalist housing official as acting intelligence chief upended a bipartisan deal.
The protest was led by Democrats objecting that Bill Pulte had no relevant experience and had weaponised government records against Trump’s opponents — raising the prospect that one of Washington’s most important national security tools could lapse within days.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows US intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets overseas, including when they communicate with people in the United States.
Officials describe it as a vital counterterrorism and espionage tool, but civil liberties groups and privacy-minded lawmakers argue it allows warrantless access to Americans’ communications.
