Biden Signs Bill Extending U.S. Surveillance Program

President Joe Biden has signed legislation reauthorizing a key US surveillance law after divisions over whether the FBI should be restricted from using the program to search for Americans’ data nearly led to the statute's expiration, as reported by Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick for the Associated Press (AP).

The bill, extending for two years the program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was narrowly passed by the Senate with bipartisan support, barely avoiding its midnight deadline. I Photo: President Joe Biden Facebook

The bill, extending for two years the program known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, was narrowly passed by the Senate with bipartisan support, barely avoiding its midnight deadline.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remarked, "In the nick of time, we are reauthorizing FISA right before it expires at midnight."

US officials have underscored the importance of the surveillance tool in disrupting terrorist activities, cyber intrusions, and foreign espionage. It has also yielded intelligence crucial for specific operations, such as the 2022 killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri.