Congress passes 10-day extension to government’s foreign spying powers

Source: New York Post

WASHINGTON — Congress unanimously approved a 10-day renewal of the federal government’s foreign spying authority in the early hours of Friday morning, after more than a dozen privacy-minded Republicans voted to kill a measure extending the powers for years more. The House and Senate both approved by unanimous consent the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to expire April 30, shifting back from a prior April 20 deadline. Two prior bipartisan House votes failed, including one aimed at extending the foreign spy powers by five years with some revisions, and another so-called “clean” extension with no changes to the law for 18 months.