Trump’s intervention in the FISA debate on Wednesday seemed to be the final blow to the House GOP leaders’ plans. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a vocal advocate for amending the legislation, told reporters on Wednesday morning that the former president was “right” and that his comments aided their cause. When asked if Trump’s message swayed any votes in the House, Vance – a close Trump ally in the Senate – quipped, “It certainly didn’t hurt.”
Johnson stated this week his intention to speak with the former president and defended his plan, highlighting that the renewal of FISA incorporates significant reforms to address abuses effectively.
Conservative members of the House broke ranks with the GOP leadership, leading to an unexpected defeat in a critical floor vote on Wednesday. This development further complicates Speaker Mike Johnson’s position, especially in light of former President Donald Trump’s call to resist a contentious surveillance law.
Trump urged House Republicans to reject the law’s reauthorization, known as FISA, before a key procedural vote on Wednesday. This added challenges for GOP leaders trying to garner support for the legislation but still pushing ahead with it.
“KILL FISA,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The dramatic scene unfolded as the tally revealed 19 Republicans boldly breaking ranks with the House GOP leadership to align with Democrats. This unexpected alliance effectively thwarted the procedural vote and dismantled a crucial rule that governed the debate on a pivotal reauthorization bill, along with several other significant legislative measures.
The political upheaval, occurring mere days after legislators returned from a brief recess, was fueled by intense pro-4th Amendment fervor, notably inflamed by former President Donald Trump. The resulting chaos brought the functioning of the House to an abrupt halt, delivering a severe blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana as he grapples with mounting challenges to his leadership position.
Nineteen House Republicans rejected a procedural step, known as a “rule” vote, in the House on a controversial spying law, renewing GOP infighting. This action effectively stalled the House and left the legislation in a state of uncertainty.
Before the vote, House Republicans aimed to lead the renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) but faced opposition from conservative hard-liners unhappy with leadership.
In the midst of all this, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia is particularly noteworthy. She is strategically dangling a motion to vacate over Speaker Johnson’s head, a move that could potentially lead to his removal from the esteemed position of the speakership. This calculated effort has added an intense layer of intrigue to the political landscape, making it a crucial point in current affairs discussions.
Shortly after conservatives derailed the rule vote, Republican leaders hastily arranged a meeting among GOP lawmakers to discuss the path forward. However, members leaving the impromptu gathering didn’t describe it as productive. Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, exited the meeting early and stated there was “zero” progress made on renewing FISA.
The forum rapidly descended into members shouting at each other and blaming fellow lawmakers for the dysfunction, according to a visibly frustrated Miller.
“If anyone says that there’s a path forward on FISA right now, they’re lying,” Miller said. Johnson “literally has to pull a rabbit out of a magic hat for this thing to work at this point.”
In the meeting’s so-called open-mic session, a few members dared to demand punitive measures against conservative dissenters for their role in sabotaging the rule vote. The majority of lawmakers, emerging from what can only be described as a heated encounter, characterized it as nothing more than a venting session – an unfortunate trend that GOP conference meetings have been reduced to in recent times. RINO whining?
“I’m getting déjà vu of the déjà vus,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., quipped.
Chaos surrounds Greene’s attempts to remove Johnson last month due to his collaboration with Democrats. After a meeting where Greene criticized Johnson’s performance, stating he had not fulfilled his duties, she emphasized that only his actions could change her stance.
The reauthorization of FISA might just sail through the Senate, where the leaders are conveniently in agreement over the extension of extra-legal spying on Americans.
The conservative senators, lacking significant influence to disrupt proceedings, will probably be sidelined. This is a clear demonstration of how power dynamics can manipulate legislative outcomes.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dared to declare on the Senate floor Wednesday that Congress “must ensure FISA authorities are renewed during this work period.” With another break looming after next week, they’ve left themselves seven days to pass the bill before an April 19 deadline.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., mentioned that during Wednesday’s impromptu GOP meeting, House lawmakers raised concerns about being “jammed by the Senate” if they didn’t first address the spying bill in the lower chamber.”Someone suggested that we should just let them struggle with it and send it to us,” he said.
If that happens, a similar debate would likely ensue on the Senate side over the contents of the legislation. However, the final version probably wouldn’t include the changes some House lawmakers desire due to the consensus in the upper chamber. This attitude, however, is not unanimous.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah – leader of the GOP Senate Steering Committee, the upper chamber’s equivalent to the conservative House Freedom Caucus said he would oppose renewing the legislation without an amendment to require intelligence officials to get a warrant before accessing Americans’ data, a provision that has become a major source of contention in the House.
Statements like this are being branded as fascist or ultra-conservative in mainstream media.
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said the surveillance law “is in need of serious reform”
“I’m glad it went down in the House today because I think it gives us an opportunity to force some of those reforms,” he said.
We have a Constitution that’s supposed to protect us from illegal or extra-legal searches and seizures.
George Eliason
