BREAKING: Top Democrats postponed a vote on Wednesday to reauthorize key parts of the federal surveillance program known as FISA after an 11th hour revolt by Republicans and progressive Democrats
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats postponed a vote on Wednesday to reauthorize key parts of the federal surveillance program known as FISA, after an 11th hour revolt by Republicans and progressive Democrats.Democrats have not decided when or if they will take up the bill. The legislation had broad bipartisan support in the Senate, but lost support from GOP lawmakers after sudden resistance from President Donald Trump and the Justice Department.
GOP opposition to the plan, meanwhile, has mounted. President Donald Trump issued his strongest statement yet against the bill, tweeting: "If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it." "We'll act upon it today one way or another," Pelosi told reporters as she left the House floor, although she wouldn't predict whether the measure would pass or what version of the legislation would be considered.The House now plans to take up the Senate’s version of the bill — which passed by a massive bipartisan margin — though progressives and Republicans have indicated they won’t support it.
And on Wednesday morning the Department of Justice formally came out against the legislation, a striking reversal given that Attorney General William Barr helped negotiate key privacy provisions in the bill,But Rep. Zoe Lofgren , who had drafted the new language on search histories, dismissed Barr’s comments on Wednesday morning, arguing that he has a “very expansive view of executive power.”
The latest rupture began over a proposal by Wyden to block the FBI from collecting the web browsing data of Americans. Wyden’s plan failed by a single vote in the Senate, but Lofgren negotiated with House leaders to bring it up for a House vote when the chamber considered the broader bill.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Republicans Are Trying to Force the House to Vote In PersonThe “reopen America” message trumps generations of anti-Washington rhetoric.
Read more »
House Republicans sue Pelosi in bid to stop proxy voting amid coronavirus concernsHouse Republicans filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to block a system of proxy voting put in place during the coronavirus pandemic on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.
Read more »
House Republicans to sue Pelosi over remote proxy voting in pandemicU.S. House of Representatives Republicans will sue Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi over rule changes that allow members to vote on each other's behalf during the coronavirus pandemic, Republican aides said on Tuesday.
Read more »
Republicans cast doubt on future of House bills passed by proxyRepublicans warned on Wednesday that legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives during the coronavirus pandemic may not become law if lawmakers are allowed to cast votes remotely under a new voting system.
Read more »
On Eve Of Historic Remote Votes In The House, Republicans Sue To Block The MoveNEW: More than 20 Republicans will sue House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other officials in federal court to block proxy voting, arguing it is unconstitutional, according to two GOP leadership sources and an attorney on the case.
Read more »