By Caitlin Yilek
Updated on: April 18, 2026 / 1:50 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — President Trump signed a short-term extension of a key surveillance authority into law on Saturday, after Congress approved a temporary measure that delays a decision until the end of April amid Republican infighting.
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a spy authority set to expire on Monday, was extended by 10 days to April 30. Lawmakers said the brief extension buys time to negotiate a longer-term fix.
The Trump administration pushed Republican lawmakers to accept an 18-month reauthorization without changes, but the proposal has encountered opposition from members of both parties over concerns including warrantless surveillance of Americans. On Wednesday, Trump urged holdouts to fall in line, posting on Truth Social, “I am willing to risk the giving up of my Rights and Privileges as a Citizen for our Great Military and Country!”
First authorized in 2008, Section 702 lets the government collect communications of noncitizens located abroad without a warrant; communications of Americans can be incidentally collected when they interact with targeted foreigners. National security officials argue the authority is essential for stopping terrorism, espionage, international drug trafficking and cyber threats.
House GOP leaders delayed floor action amid conservative warnings that they would not back an 18-month renewal that lacked privacy safeguards. That resistance forced repeated rescheduling of related votes into the early hours of Friday.
After midnight, Speaker Mike Johnson sought to advance a proposal to extend the law for five years while making modest warrant changes and increasing criminal penalties for misuse. A dozen Republicans blocked that plan, and an effort to proceed with an 18-month renewal without reforms was later defeated by 20 Republicans — a setback for Johnson’s leadership.
The House ultimately approved the two-week extension by unanimous consent after 2 a.m., sending it to the Senate, where most members had left town as talks stagnated. No senator objected to a unanimous consent request on Friday morning, clearing the way for the short-term extension to become law.
Jaala Brown and Alan He contributed to this report.