National security veterans warn against delays in FISA 702 reauthorization
A group of about 50 former national security officials sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday urging lawmakers to approve a “clean” renewal of an electronic surveillance authority slated to expire later this month.
The missive, obtained by Recorded Future News, arrives days before policymakers return from recess next week and aim for a quick extension Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for another 18 months. It allows the National Security Agency to intercept the communications of foreign espionage or terrorism suspects that transit through U.S. telecom and internet companies.
Members have just days before the statute expires on April 20.
President Donald Trump has publicly called for a tweak-free renewal, as have many on his national security team. Still, the request faces a tight window next week when a fractured House GOP caucus takes up the issue, with privacy hawks and libertarians demanding more reforms.
“We cannot afford to let our Intelligence Community lose this tool that helps keep our nation safe, even for a day,” the letter states. Its signatories include a host of past NSA officials, as well as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“In particular, we also write to caution against allowing this essential legislation to become entangled with unrelated policy debates that threaten to delay its passage,” it notes.
The line is a nod to a push by some of Trump’s ardent congressional supporters to attach a controversial voting rights bill to any reauthorization and arguments from civil liberty and privacy advocates who are alarmed by the federal government purchasing information from data brokers.
The letter also cites a staff report issued last week by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board that endorsed how FISA Section 702 has been utilized since the last extension in 2024. However, the findings have come under fire from critics because Trump previously fired the board’s Democratic panelists and is currently represented by a single GOP member.
“In short, we cannot afford to place Section 702 reauthorization at risk by entangling it with unrelated policy initiatives that warrant further — but separate — consideration,” the former officials wrote.
Martin Matishak
is the senior cybersecurity reporter for The Record. Prior to joining Recorded Future News in 2021, he spent more than five years at Politico, where he covered digital and national security developments across Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community. He previously was a reporter at The Hill, National Journal Group and Inside Washington Publishers.