Published on April 14, 2024, 1:05 am

In a breaking news update, an unprecedented tie vote within the U.S. House resulted in the loss of an amendment targeted towards preventing unwarranted searches of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

Amid intensifying demands from both conservative and liberal factions to fortify protections for Americans, controversy erupted over reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). However, the attempt to pass an amendment offering these protections failed with equal votes on either side – 212 to 212. Among those voting, there were 128 Republicans and 84 Democrats in support, while 13 members abstained from casting their votes.

The Amendment was spearheaded by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., who expressed disappointment post-vote by stating that “86 Republicans voted with Joe Biden and the Uniparty to allow the FBI to continue spying on Americans without a warrant. The Swamp is deep.”

Heritage Action, known for its grassroots conservatism called upon lawmakers from across party lines to adopt an amendment barring warrantless searches of Americans. Ryan Walker, executive vice president of Heritage Action expressed his disapproval and stated that “The FBI’s repeated misuse of Section 702 to abuse Americans’ constitutional rights is a disgrace.” He further added that if Congress simply reauthorized Section 702 without implementing strong reforms, it would be percieved as a missed opportunity to prevent grotesque federal abuses.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., played a crucial role considering his vote caused the tie resulting in defeat.

The White House made last-minute attempts at lobbying Congress members against supporting this amendment – involving administration officials including Attorney General Merrick Garland and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan among others.

Despite rejecting this amendment aimed at reinforcing citizens’ privacy protections, FISA was subsequently reapproved by a weighty house vote of 273-147.

Section 702 under FISA permits gathering intelligence data on individuals beyond US borders but in recent times complaints of misuse have surfaced repeatedly. These include alleged exploitation of the law by agency like FBI for collecting unwarranted information on American citizens – a staggering figure closer to 278,000 instances.

The proposed amendment (to HR 7888), termed as the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act sought to prohibit warrantless searches. The amendment featured multiple sponsors including notable figures such as Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.. However unfortunately it could not garner enough support leading to its downfall.

Despite the defeat of this crucial amendment aimed at championing citizen’s privacy rights, lawmakers still believe in the potential and urgent need for reform within FISA. Rep.Paul Gosar noted that “Several good amendments were offered to improve and reform FISA” while expressing disappointment at how some members had voted against the Bill. He states “Sadly, 86 Republicans and 126 Democrats voted down this amendment allowing continued unwarranted surveillance.”

This unexpected development surrounding FISA has positioned it anew within discussions related to citizen’s privacy rights and measures governing safety, thereby also sparking debates over perceived lapses in bipartisan support for key legislation. As developments continue to unravel around this topic we will continue giving our readers Real News from a Christian Worldview that they can trust.