Thune rejects Trump demand to link SAVE America Act to FISA

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday indicated that the Senate would not move forward with a plan from President Donald Trump to link a marquis voter ID bill with an extension of key surveillance powers.

Lawmakers have sought to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which authorizes the warrantless surveillance of foreigners abroad. The provision expired at the end of last week after the House voted down an extension.

Thune, for his part, suggested that a planned extension was likely to receive a vote after the confirmation of Jay Clayton to serve as Director of National Intelligence.

“We will try and move 702 as soon as we feel like we have the votes to do it,” he said, according to The Hill. “That’s probably all contingent on Clayton getting confirmed and in position."

Throwing a wrench in plans to extend the surveillance powers was Trump's appointment of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHSA) chief Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, which Democrats feared signaled a plan to use the post to persecute the administration's political enemies.

The SAVE America Act, for its part, is a voter ID bill that has languished in the Senate, despite considerable public pressure on lawmakers to revise Senate rules to circumvent the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Trump previously indicated that he would oppose the Section 702 extension if it did not also include the SAVE America Act. 

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.