House Committee Advances Spying Legislation Reauthorization

The House Rules Committee, in a late night vote, advanced a bill that would reauthorize a controversial spying authority but left a key aspect of the debate to be decided later. The authority in question, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), is one of several post 9/11 surveillance authorities that have come under scrutiny as some lawmakers have tried to reclaim the civil liberties lost in the 2000s. The April 9 hearing in the Rules Committee pitted national security hawkishness against civil liberty concerns. Lawmakers on the panel, which acts as the final stop for legislation before it comes to the floor for a vote, approved a bill that makes some reforms to the program while leaving aside the issue of warrants for a showdown on the House floor....