Politics

The House Says 'No' To The FISA Amendment

The House voted against a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act amendment that would have made information linked to Americans harder to access.

The House Says 'No' To The FISA Amendment
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The U.S. House of Representatives voted against an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that would've made it harder for agencies to access information linked to Americans.

FISA is a program that lets the government collect electronic communications of foreigners abroad, even when they're talking to U.S. citizens; that includes emails and text messages.

Presidents Can't Order Wiretaps (And Other Things To Know About FISA)
Presidents Can't Order Wiretaps (And Other Things To Know About FISA)

Presidents Can't Order Wiretaps (And Other Things To Know About FISA)

The process is handled by the Justice Department, not the White House.

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The amendment would've made some big changes to the type of information security agencies like the FBI and National Security Agency can access using FISA.

The proposed changes also would have banned officials from going through Americans' private messages without a warrant.

While the House rejected the amendment, lawmakers did vote to reauthorize FISA. The bill now needs approval from the Senate.