U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Wednesday he plans to move forward with a short-term extension of critical foreign surveillance programs that are set to expire this weekend unless Congress intervenes.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the House of Commons will vote on extending the program on a procedural basis on Thursday morning. That would require buy-in from some Democratic lawmakers. The extension would continue Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the government to collect communications of people outside the United States, including when they are interacting with Americans, until July 2, Johnson said.
“I’m going to ask all members here to do the right thing by the American people. FISA, let me remind you…this is a way to monitor terrorists who seek to harm Americans. This is a very important and essential national security tool,” Johnson told reporters outside the House chamber on Wednesday.
Despite bipartisan opposition, President Donald Trump earlier in the day made a move to appoint Bill Peult as acting director of national intelligence, setting the stage for a short-term extension of FISA. Democrats have vowed to oppose any FISA extension as long as Mr. Pulte remains President Trump’s DNI nominee, making a short-term patch unlikely.
The Senate also must approve the FISA extension before its June 12 deadline.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told reporters Wednesday that he was “emphatic no” to a short-term extension. He did not say whether he would encourage Democrats to vote against the bill.
“Many national security Democrats, who have historically supported the continuation of the current surveillance authorities, have deep skepticism about moving forward with even a short-term extension as long as Bill Pelt remains on track to become acting director of national intelligence,” Jeffries said.
Earlier this month, President Trump nominated Mr. Pulte to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has used his position to launch a series of investigations into several of the president’s political opponents for alleged mortgage-related fraud.
The move quickly drew criticism from both sides, with Mr. Trump calling for Mr. Prut to either abandon his choice or quickly find a permanent replacement for him.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told reporters Wednesday: “This is not the fault of my side. It’s frankly not the fault of Republican senators.” “If 702 goes dark by throwing a live grenade into a controversial three-year reauthorization bill, it becomes the property of this administration, this president.”
“I can’t think of anyone else who would appoint someone more incompetent, unqualified and dangerous to serve as acting DNI,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, said of Mr. Pulte on Capitol Hill.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Commissioner Bill Pulte speaks on CNBC on January 8, 2026.
CNBC
But Trump was clearly undeterred, attacking Democrats in a post on TruthSocial and calling for a short-term extension of the program.
“Just like they did with border funding, the Radical Left Democrats are trying to hold our national security hostage on an unrelated issue. They need to stop playing the politics of keeping us safe,” Trump wrote on Wednesday.
In the post, President Trump said he is looking for a permanent candidate for the DNI, but in the meantime, Pruitt will be sworn in on June 19. Mr. Trump said he asked Mr. Pelt to “immediately carry out the necessary downsizing of his office and return his staff to their home base.”
Senate leaders from both parties floated the idea of another short-term extension Wednesday. The proposal would extend the program until July 2, MS NOW reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
The FISA program has critics on both sides of the aisle who worry it could lead to surveillance of U.S. citizens. Supporters, meanwhile, say it is a vital national security measure, one that has become increasingly important as the U.S. conflict with Iran continues and the FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off this week in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“FISA 702 is extremely important to our military, keeping the American people safe, especially during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations,” President Trump said in a post Wednesday. “If we do nothing, this important legislation will expire this week. I am asking Congress for a short extension of FISA to allow time to select and confirm a permanent FISA Director. I want to thank Secretary Pulte for his time and dedication.”
President Trump has called for a full extension of the program, but many in Congress want to limit the law’s warrantless surveillance provisions.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said passing the bill without additional language regarding warrants would be “very tough.”
“If you don’t have a search warrant…I think that’s going to be a problem for a lot of people,” Burchett said.
“President Trump is the driver of the deal, so we’ll just see what he puts on the table and how it’s resolved, but at this point I don’t think it’s going to go very well.”
The Senate had been working on a three-year extension of the program, but last week after Pulte’s announcement, seven Republicans joined most Democrats in defeating a procedural motion that would have set up a vote on final passage of the FISA bill this week. A previous attempt to pass a multi-year extension this spring also failed, resulting in a 45-day extension signed into law in April.
Warner said he continues to work with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on a solution ahead of Friday’s deadline. But he wasn’t sure if the short patch would get enough votes.
Republicans have also publicly questioned Trump’s choice of Pulte.
“We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need experts there,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters at the Capitol last week.
Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., who leaves office at the end of this Congress and has regularly attacked Trump administration officials, appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week and called Mr. Pelt an “incendiary attack dog.”
And Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), who is also retiring at the end of his term, asked President Trump to reconsider his selection in a post on Mr. X on Monday.
“FISA has provided us with over 50% of our most sensitive information and has enabled the United States to thwart multiple terrorist attacks,” Bacon wrote. “Letting FISA lapse reflects a nation paralyzed by hyperpartisanship and dysfunction. The President could help by canceling his plan to install Bill Pulte as Acting DNI.”
—Emily Wilkins and Irit Skalnik contributed to this article.
