While most of America was sound asleep early Friday morning, twenty House Republicans staged one of the more dramatic revolts seen in this Congress. Between midnight and 2 a.m., House leadership attempted to push through not one but two versions of a long-term Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization bill.
Both proposals would have renewed the government’s warrantless spying powers for years without privacy reforms demanded by a growing coalition of Republicans.
Twenty Republicans joined Democrats to defeat both the five-year extension and the 18-month compromise championed by President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson. The vote on the 18-month version resulted in a tally of 197-228, falling short.
One Kentucky representative summarized the situation: “He’s right.”
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits warrantless surveillance on foreign nationals abroad but also captures communications involving American citizens. This has been a point of contention following documented abuses by the FBI, including in the Carter Page case. Many Republicans have expressed reluctance to support a clean renewal without privacy safeguards.
Deep divisions within the GOP caucus became apparent. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faces mounting pressure over his “clean” 18-month extension proposal. The vote requires simple majority support but procedural rule votes typically follow party lines — meaning Johnson can lose only one Republican vote.
Representative Keith Self (R-Texas) stated: “This is a privacy issue. It’s an important tool against terrorists, but you cannot warrantlessly surveil U.S. citizens.”
Representative Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) announced she would vote “NO on FISA” and demanded Senate passage of the SAVE America Act. Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) criticized Johnson’s position, calling for the SAVE America Act to be attached to FISA legislation.
Before the late-night vote began, a representative drew a clear line: “And he wasn’t alone.”
The full list of Republican rebels who voted no includes: Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, Eric Burlison, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Eli Crane, Warren Davidson, Paul Gosar, Andy Harris, Diana Harshbarger, Thomas Massie, Mary Miller, Ralph Norman, Andy Ogles, Scott Perry, John Rose, Keith Self, Victoria Spartz, Sheri Biggs, and Mark Harris.
The procedural vote on the 18-month Section 702 extension failed 197-228 on April 17, 2026. Speaker Johnson’s initial five-year proposal with revisions also faced Republican opposition.
After both longer proposals were defeated, lawmakers passed a temporary 10-day extension by unanimous consent at 2:09 a.m., pushing the deadline to April 30.
President Trump had urged Republicans to “vote together” and “stick together,” but this effort did not overcome the rebellion.
FISA’s surveillance powers now expire on April 30 instead of April 20. This gives Congress roughly two weeks to craft a compromise that includes the warrant protections demanded by twenty Republican legislators.
Texas Representative Chip Roy warned that members who supported the clean extension would have to “go home and answer their constituents over the next 72 hours about why they are siding with intelligence agencies, the deep state and the swamp over the rights and liberties of American people.”