After Speaker Mike Johnson delayed the vote on reauthorizing a contentious surveillance power for a second time this week, a rare coalition of conservative and progressive House lawmakers is attempting to put pressure on him to conduct the vote.
In a joint statement that was obtained first by AWN, Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and Ben Cline (R-Va.) all serve as signatories. The statement warns that “repeatedly punting legislation… is unproductive.”
“We have shown that we are open to considering alternative measures to renew Section 702, but only if Members are given a chance to vote on the question of whether the government should cease buying private American data from outside sources and end warrantless surveillance on Americans,” they further stated.
Section 702, a warrantless authority that has drawn criticism for its capacity to sweep in Americans’ information, is being debated in this context; the group’s statement emphasises that all it wants is a vote on those two policy changes.
The announcement follows Johnson’s Wednesday abruptly shelved his second effort to extend Section 702. Members of the Intelligence Committee had threatened to block a provision that would have allowed him to bring the legislation to the floor for consideration with the simple majority needed for passage.
