WASHINGTON — Senior Biden administration officials urged Congress to renew a warrantless surveillance program that expires later this year, calling it a “key intelligence authority.”
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote to the Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate on Tuesday to argue for the extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expires on Dec. 31 unless Congress votes to renew it.
Section 702 “has been a critical authority for the Intelligence Community and Department of Justice,” they wrote. The letter outlines the ways in the intelligence community believes that Section 702 has helped to mitigate dangers, from ransomware attacks to threats from weapons of mass destruction and risks from foreign espionage.
