Nineteen House Republicans defied leadership Thursday by voting with Democrats to block a temporary extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until July 2 because it did not require a warrant before spying on Americans.
The extension failed to pass in a 198-218 vote, with 190 Republicans and seven Democrats voting in favor of the temporary extension one day before its Friday expiration. Republican Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Chip Roy of Texas, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming and Michael Cloud of Texas all voted against the tool because it did not require the government to obtain a warrant.
The 19 Republicans who voted AGAINST extending the warrantless spying tool:
-Tim Burchett
-Lauren Boebert
-Thomas Massie
-Chip Roy
-Josh Brecheen
-Eric Burlison
-Kat Cammack
-Michael Cloud
-Andrew Clyde
-Eli Crane
-Warren Davidson
-Troy Downing
-Russ Fulcher
-Paul…— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) June 11, 2026
The other Republicans who voted against it were Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Kat Cammack of Florida, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Troy Downing of Montana, Russ Fulcher of Idaho, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mike Kennedy of Utah, John Rose of Tennessee, Michael Rulli of Ohio and Keith Self of Texas.
Section 702 allows the government to collect and search American citizens’ data without a warrant if they were in contact with targeted noncitizens located outside of the U.S. It facilitates tracking foreign intelligence, cyber threats and terrorism, which often collect Americans’ data in the process. It is set to expire Friday, and neither the House nor Senate have the votes to pass its extension.
Burchett said he voted against the extension to protect Americans’ rights protected under the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits searches and seizures without a warrant.
“I’ve always voted ‘no’ on that thing. The Fourth Amendment is there for a reason … FISA allows, remember those illegal searches and seizures done during the Biden administration? Literally thousands of them, some of these guys were FBI agents trying to hook up with some lady or something and it’s just pathetic abuse,” Burchett said.
We take an oath to uphold the Constitution. FISA violates that. I voted no. pic.twitter.com/k1em4dSQVh
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) June 11, 2026
Should the government require a warrant for surveillance under Section 702 of FISA?
Massie said Section 702 is unconstitutional, arguing that the government must obtain warrants to conduct searches on Americans.
“Thank goodness. Clean reauthorization of the unconstitutional FISA 702 program failed in the House,” Massie said.
Thank goodness. Clean reauthorization of the unconstitutional FISA 702 program failed in the House. I’ll post the roll call when it’s available. https://t.co/wpKkQEs7Yy
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 11, 2026
House Speaker Mike Johnson said during a press gaggle attended by the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday that House Democrats were willing to “jeopardize” the safety of Americans to score “a cheap political point.”
“That is what the current Democrat party stands for,” Johnson said. “They are willing to jeopardize the safety and the security of the American people to make a cheap political point … Their excuse is that they’re upset about a very temporary appointment that the President of the United States has already said will be very temporary, while he searches for and selects a new director of national intelligence, that is an important process, it takes some time, thought, and deliberation.”
After spending years opposing the program, President Donald Trump called for the passage of FISA section 702 in an April 15 statement. Weeks before the U.S. entered the Iran war on Feb. 28, administration officials arranged a meeting with lawmakers in early February to promote FISA programs without changes.
A procedural vote on extending Section 702 failed to advance in the Senate after seven Republicans joined Democrats to vote against it. These Republican senators were Josh Hawley of Missouri, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rick Scott of Florida, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote in favor of the motion.
Lee called on his party to add a warrant to Section 702 in exchange for his support.
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