FISA Renewal Falters in Senate Over Trump Intel Pick Revolt

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate blocked an extension of a key surveillance program early Friday in a 47-52 procedural vote, as bipartisan backlash over President Donald Trump’s selection of housing regulator Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence derailed what had been a carefully negotiated compromise. The critical intelligence-gathering authority is now set to expire on June 12 unless Congress can reach a deal.

The Vote and Its Fallout

Seven Republican senators joined nearly all Democrats in voting against the motion, which would have set up a final vote on extending the program next week. Only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed party lines to support the measure, according to AP News.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said following the vote that the chamber “will take another run at it” next week, calling Democratic opposition a “terribly irresponsible position.”

But the damage had already been done. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a key negotiator of the compromise bill, voted against the very measure he had helped craft. His reasoning: the “complete irresponsibility of putting forward” Pulte to lead the nation’s intelligence community.

“Does anybody think it makes good sense to give him the keys to the 18 intelligence agencies?” Warner asked.

The Pulte Controversy

The vote’s collapse traces directly to Trump’s decision earlier this week to tap Bill Pulte — the grandson of the founder of homebuilding giant PulteGroup and the current director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — as acting DNI. Pulte has no prior national security experience, and his appointment drew immediate bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.

Trump announced on social media Tuesday that Pulte would replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis. The president cited Pulte’s work overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as evidence that his real estate background would translate to coordinating 18 federal intelligence agencies.

By Thursday, however, Trump was already backtracking. He told reporters that Pulte would not be his “permanent” choice for the post, acknowledging the widespread pushback. “He’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” Trump said in the Oval Office, while calling Pulte a “very smart guy” with “high integrity.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent Trump a letter calling on him to rescind Pulte’s national security appointment entirely, arguing that “Americans cannot trust him to protect our nation and refrain from misusing the sensitive information he will have access to.”

What’s at Stake

The program at the center of the standoff is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits the CIA, NSA, and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets without a warrant. Civil liberties advocates have long warned that the program can incidentally sweep up Americans’ communications, and reform advocates have pushed for a warrant requirement when law enforcement seeks to access that data.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), a longtime critic of the surveillance system, said the bipartisan vote was proof that “reform efforts transcend red and blue.” He added: “It’s a message that Americans aren’t going to stand for law-abiding people being spied on.”

The Road Ahead

Any agreement faces significant hurdles beyond the Senate floor. The House has yet to resolve differences over a provision restricting central bank digital currency that Republican leaders added to secure support. The 60-vote threshold in the Senate means bipartisan cooperation remains essential.

Congress had previously approved short-term extensions of the surveillance program, most recently pushing the deadline to June 12 as negotiations dragged on. With that date now looming, the collapse of this week’s vote raises the prospect of a lapse in authorities that intelligence officials describe as vital to national security.

Thune expressed confidence that a deal could still be reached, telling reporters the Senate would try again next week. But with several Republican senators who voted against the extension — including Sens. Tillis, Cassidy, and Cornyn — leaving the chamber after the 2026 elections, the political dynamics are shifting.

What to Watch For

The coming days will determine whether Congress can avert a lapse in FISA authorities before the June 12 deadline. Key questions include: Who will Trump nominate as a permanent DNI? Can the House and Senate reconcile their competing versions of the bill? And will the Pulte episode permanently fracture the bipartisan coalition needed to keep the surveillance program alive?

For now, the fate of one of the U.S. government’s most powerful intelligence tools hangs in the balance — caught between national security imperatives, surveillance reform momentum, and a political firestorm over who should lead America’s spy agencies.