To amend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the authorities of title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 through October 20, 2027, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 24, 2026 · Last action April 17, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill extends the authorities under Title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) from their scheduled expiration to October 20, 2027. Title VII allows the federal government to conduct surveillance of foreign intelligence targets without a warrant when communications pass through U.S. infrastructure, provided the government certifies it is targeting foreigners outside the U.S. The bill delays the automatic repeal of these surveillance powers for approximately 1.5 years beyond current law.
Who benefits
The Intelligence Community agencies (NSA, FBI, CIA, and other federal intelligence services) that rely on Title VII authorities to conduct bulk collection of foreign intelligence; telecommunications companies that avoid costly system modifications during the extended authorization period; executive branch officials who retain warrantless surveillance tools without needing to defend reauthorization legislation before Congress in 2026
Who pays / loses
U.S. citizens and permanent residents whose communications transiting foreign infrastructure may be incidentally collected under Title VII without individualized warrants; civil liberties advocates and privacy rights organizations who oppose bulk surveillance programs; foreign nationals in other countries whose communications are directly targeted; members of Congress who prefer regular reauthorization votes rather than extended sunset dates
Funding & Lobbying Interests
No specific financial interests directly lobby for FISA reauthorization in disclosed campaign finance data. However, telecommunications carriers (AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, and others) have a financial stake in extended authorization because it allows them to continue cooperation with intelligence agencies without costly infrastructure changes. Defense and intelligence contractors (Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and others) benefit from continued demand for surveillance infrastructure and analysis capabilities. The sponsor, Rep. Crawford (R-AR), received $194,540 in contributions from 'Other' sources and minimal PAC contributions in 2024, suggesting primary funding from individual donors rather than intelligence-industry PACs.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (estimated 330M+ individuals in U.S., unknown percentage whose communications transit foreign infrastructure) whose communications may be incidentally collected; NSA, FBI, and other Intelligence Community employees who retain job security and authorities; persons in other nations targeted for foreign intelligence purposes; telecommunications infrastructure providers and their shareholders; civil liberties organizations and their donors
Political Subtext
Proponents argue that Title VII authorities are essential counterterrorism and foreign intelligence tools that must not expire without a replacement framework in place; they contend Congress should maintain continuity of intelligence capabilities. Critics argue that Title VII enables warrantless mass surveillance of Americans' communications; they note the authorities have existed since 2008 without meaningful congressional oversight, and that automatic sunset dates force periodic debate about whether the program should continue at all. Non-partisan evidence shows that Title VII has been reauthorized repeatedly with minimal public debate, that the FISA court operates in secret with limited adversarial testing, and that the program has captured substantial quantities of American communications despite targeting foreigners—though NSA claims this is 'incidental' rather than intentional. The Congressional Research Service has documented growing civil liberties concerns about the scope of bulk collection authorities.
Real-World Stakes
If this passes, warrantless foreign intelligence surveillance under Title VII will continue through October 2027 without requiring Congress to hold a reauthorization vote. This removes pressure for legislative debate or reform of the program. Similar extensions occurred in 2012 (FISA reauthorization) and 2017 (FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act), each time with minimal public controversy but extensive documented incidental collection of U.S. communications. If this fails, Title VII would sunset on its current date, forcing Congress to either allow the authorities to lapse or actively vote on a new authorization—creating a procedural checkpoint for debating scope, oversight, and civil liberties protections. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (established by Congress) has repeatedly flagged concerns about the program's scope and recommended greater transparency, but its recommendations have not been implemented. This bill extends the program without addressing any of those concerns.
Sponsor
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
Top contributing industries
Other$194,540
Agriculture$12,550
Healthcare$10,050
Finance$7,800
Construction$4,000
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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