The House of Representatives on Wednesday failed to pass a rule that would've allowed for the consideration of FISA renewal after Donald Trump urged Republican lawmakers to kill it.
“KILL FISA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform “Truth Social” ahead of a vote on the floor.
The vote tally was 193 to 228, with 19 Republicans voting with Democrats to sink the procedural vote and take down a rule to allow debate on the reauthorization bill as well as several other bills.
This is the fourth time in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) short tenure that the House has defeated a rule vote, a major blow to Republican leadership. The move comes as Johnson faces a challenge to his speakership after a motion to vacate was filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
The FISA law as it stands allows the U.S. intelligence community to collect communications records from foreign persons based overseas. It also allows the FBI to search the data it collects for information about U.S. citizens, which some have criticized as a “backdoor” search.
