Providing for Consideration of H.R. Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act; Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Denouncing the Biden Administration's Immigration Policies; and Providing for Consideration of H. Res. Opposing Efforts to Place One-Sided Pressure on Israel with Respect to Gaza

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of this resolution, which sets up the House of Representatives to consider much-needed reform and limitations to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

With the pending expiration of 702 of FISA, Congress is tasked with reforming an authority intended for foreign intelligence collection, but which has turned into warrantless surveillance of the American people.

The targeting of Americans is well documented. Reporting from the Office of the Director for National Intelligence found that in 2021 the FBI conducted over 3,394,000 U.S. person searches without a warrant. In 2022, the FBI was still conducting hundreds of warrantless searches each day.

These queries target Members of Congress, State elected officials, judges, campaign donors, protestors, and more.

In May of this last year, The Washington Post reported that in 2020 and early 2021, the FBI conducted over 278,000 searches of the 702 database that violated Justice Department rules and often lacked national security connections.

Even the FISA court found that `` . . . the FBI's querying of section 702 information have proven to be persistent and widespread.''

Warrantless surveillance of the American people by the Federal Government in violation of the Fourth Amendment is well documented and well known.

If such an alarming reality does not merit serious reform and paring back of authorities, then my question is: What does?

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I was proud to be involved in the development of the Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act through which we first advanced these important reforms.

The FISA working group was the next installment of this important process, and the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act is a good start, but there is more work which must be done.

The underlying rule makes in order three critically important amendments--one prohibiting warrantless searches of Americans in the 702 database, one ending the overly intrusive abouts collection, and one enhancing reporting requirements and injecting Congress into the FISA court process.

These amendments are crucial to placing limitations and imposing transparency.

I urge my colleagues to support this rule and support these three amendments.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

I appreciate that the rule makes in order several amendments for the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. These are amendments that we heard about that both the members of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees have proposed, but we also heard last night in the Rules Committee that there are many important amendments the Committee blocked and that the full House won't get to consider.

The process on this could indeed have been better.

What I wonder now is do we even have the votes to pass this rule? We need to be able to get to a point where we are taking up on the floor of the House rules that are going to get the votes.

As we know, they have already defeated six of their own rules. These are important matters, and I think it is important that we get to do the work.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. D'Esposito). The gentlewoman has 13\1/4\ minutes remaining.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source