Himes Statement on House Passage of FISA 702 Reauthorization

Washington, DC- Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize and reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill passed the House by a vote of 235-191.

"Today, I voted to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, our country's most important and irreplaceable foreign intelligence collection tool. This program is rightly controversial, and it is a shame that my Republican colleagues did not use this process to debate thoughtful and bipartisan reforms to further safeguard Americans' privacy without hamstringing our intelligence agencies' ability to keep our country and our constituents safe. That said, I cannot in good conscience allow this program to expire and once again leave Americans vulnerable to national security threats like the terrorist attack that took the lives of 161 precious residents of Connecticut on September 11, 25 years ago. I hope that the House and Senate will now work together to pass a bipartisan FISA reform and reauthorization bill that can be quickly signed into law, and I remain committed to working closely with my colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight that does not allow for the possibility of abuse by this Administration."

Permalink: https://himes.house.gov/2026/4/himes-statement-on-house-passage-of-fisa-702-reauthorization