FISA Section 702 Almost Certain to Expire After House Votes Against Extension, EPIC Continues to Urge Reforms

Thursday morning, the U.S. House failed to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), all but ensuring the law will lapse on Friday night for the first time since its passage in 2008.  The House is not expected to vote again until June 23. 

Despite some claims to the contrary, the government will continue to be able to perform its foreign surveillance under Section 702, regardless of whether the statute is allowed to expire because the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has already recertified Section 702 surveillance through March 2027. That certification remains operational even after the statute sunsets. 

The pending sunset of FISA Section 702 stems from Republican leadership’s refusal to allow floor votes on meaningful FISA reforms, barring a standard part of the reauthorization process and creating this impasse.   

And the stalemate is not for lack of options. Senators from both sides of the aisle have introduced bills that would reauthorize Section 702 while making crucial reforms: The Government Surveillance Reform Act of 2026 (GSRA); the Security and Freedom Enhancement Act of 2026 (SAFE Act); and the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act of 2026 (Protect Liberty Act).  

FISA Section 702 allows U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on foreign targets without a warrant, but the practice constantly sweeps up the communications of Americans who are in contact with people outside of the country. It’s a loophole that government agencies have increasingly exploited to surveil Americans without having to obtain permission from the court. 

EPIC has long worked with a large, bipartisan coalition of civil society groups to put pressure on Congress to reform Section 702 and ensure intelligence agencies cannot continue to abuse the law to infringe upon Americans’ privacy and civil liberties. 

To protect Americans and their most sensitive data, Congress must pass reforms that require a court order for U.S. person queries, close the data broker loophole, revise the law’s definition of “Electronic Communication Service Provider,” and strengthen its amici provisions.   

EPIC is a staunch advocate for the broad reform of Section 702 and previously published a blog series on reforming section 702— including this overview explaining why the law must be reformed.