Trump Supports ‘Clean’ Extension of Controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Law

A congressional aide said Wednesday that President Donald Trump has requested a simple, clean extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., stated he supports the president’s decision on this critical national-security matter. The law permits U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of non-Americans abroad without warrants.

Enacted in 2008 and periodically reauthorized by Congress, Section 702 allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets overseas for intelligence related to terrorism, espionage, and cyber threats. It also permits incidental collection of Americans’ communications if they are in contact with those foreign targets.

Trump has informed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Intelligence Committee Chair Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio that he wants a clean extension, according to the source.

Cotton, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has consistently defended the authority as essential for safeguarding U.S. national security.

Trump’s push for a “clean” extension indicates opposition to efforts by some lawmakers to include reforms during reauthorization. A bipartisan group in both chambers has advocated for changes after past compliance issues and concerns over how the FBI searches for Americans’ information within the Section 702 database.

Civil liberties advocates have urged requiring warrants before querying data for U.S. persons, arguing that additional safeguards are necessary to protect constitutional rights.

The dispute over Section 702 has fostered unusual alliances on Capitol Hill, with some conservative Republicans aligning with progressive Democrats to seek stricter guardrails. Meanwhile, defense hawks across the political spectrum warn that new restrictions could undermine intelligence capabilities.

Intelligence officials have emphasized that allowing the authority to lapse—even briefly—could disrupt investigations and diminish the government’s ability to track foreign threats in real time.

With the current authorization set to expire, congressional leaders are under increasing pressure to reach an agreement.