06.12.26

Democrats Are Shuttering America’s Strongest Counterterrorism Tool

As the FIFA World Cup Kicks Off and America Celebrates the 250th Anniversary of Its Founding, Democrats Have Blocked the Reauthorization of FISA Section 702, a Vital Tool for Foiling Terror Plots and Other Criminal Activity

AMID AN INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS WORLD AND ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION EVENTS KICKING OFF IN THE U.S., DEMOCRATS ARE LETTING AMERICA’S MOST POWERFUL COUNTERTERRORISM TOOL GO DARK

“The reason the Democrats went south on this in the House as well, is the nomination of Bill Pulte to be the acting temporary director of the office of national intelligence. If that's true and he doesn't take office until a week from Friday, what objection could there possibly be to extending this program's authority until at least next Friday? So we don't have a period where this program lapses, this program goes dark, at a time when there are literally hundreds of thousands of people coming to this country for the World Cup.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

  • What Democrats are doing is unprecedented: Congress has never let Section 702 of FISA lapse. (Politico: Spy law on track to lapse after House rejects extension – 6/11/26)
  • Despite the fact that Bill Pulte, President Trump’s choice to serve in a temporary and acting role as director of national intelligence, does not start until June 19, Senate Democrats blocked one-week and three-week extensions of Section 702 of FISA. (Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio: post on X – 6/11/26; NBC News’ Frank Thorp V: post on X – 6/11/26)
  • Democrats blocked these proposed extensions even with one senior Democrat acknowledging that it would be dangerous to allow the program to lapse. (Punchbowl News’ Laura Weiss: post on X – 6/11/26)
  • “National security officials have long argued that the law is vital for disrupting terrorist plots, foreign espionage, international drug trafficking and cyber intrusions.” (CBS News: Trump signs short-term FISA extension; surveillance law will be maintained through April 30 – 4/18/26)
  • “Regrettably, it now appears that Minority Leader Schumer is marching Democrat senators over a cliff—and taking FISA Title VII along with them. By walking away from our bipartisan compromise less than a week before the law expires, Senator Schumer has risked the lapse of this critical intelligence authority, especially since it appears that he won’t support another short-term FISA extension.” – Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
  • Beginning this week, the U.S. is set to begin hosting the FIFA World Cup and celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding:
    • “Officials said more than 400 law enforcement agencies are working with the federal government and private security firms to secure the stadiums, fan festivals, base camps and hotels for the record 48 teams who will play 78 matches over 39 days in 11 U.S. cities…” (ESPN: World Cup security planners prepare for 'unprecedented' challenge – 6/4/26)
    • “Federal law enforcement agencies and homeland security officials on Monday unveiled an extensive security plan for this summer's America 250 celebrations, assuring the public that Washington will be prepared for what is expected to be one of the largest security operations in the city's history… Because of the scale and significance of the events, federal authorities have designated them as National Special Security Events, a classification reserved for occasions that require the highest level of federal security coordination.” (Fox 5 DC: Massive security plan unveiled for America 250 events – 6/2/26)

THROUGHOUT THIS CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS HAVE JEOPARDIZED NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS, REFUSING TO FUND LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND NOW BLOCKING THE SURVEILLANCE OF TERRORISTS

“Democrats have been playing fast and loose with our national security all year. Their two record-breaking shutdowns strained our nation’s critical national security agencies – particularly agencies at the Department of Homeland Security, which was shut down for a staggering 119 days all told this fiscal year… If Democrats had their way, there would be zero physical presence at our nation’s borders and zero agents to remove criminal illegal immigrants who do make their way into our country.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

  • Democrats instigated two unprecedented government shutdowns (76-day partial and 43-day full) that degraded homeland security and harmed the lives of border security officers who keep the country’s borders safe: (The Wall Street Journal: Senators to Suspend Their Pay During Government Shutdowns – 5/14/26)
    • “The shutdown’s uncertainty has taken a toll on ICE and CBP staffers, particularly professional and civilian support staff who missed paychecks in the early weeks of funding lapse, said an administration official.” (Politico: ‘Six months to catch up’: What the shutdown cost DHS – 5/2/26)
      • Between both of Democrats’ government shutdowns, over 2,200 officers at the Transportation Security Administration quit their jobs. (Politico: Over 1,000 TSA officers have quit amid shutdown – 4/27/26; Politico: Over 1,000 TSA officers have quit amid shutdown – 4/27/26)
      • During Democrats’ 76-day full government shutdown, Democrats said “even missed paychecks for US troops won’t be enough to end shutdown alone.” (CNN: Democrats say even missed paychecks for US troops won’t be enough to end shutdown alone – 10/9/25)
      • One “senior Democratic aide said as long as public perception is in their favor, the party will not concede short of ‘planes falling out of the sky.’” (CNN: Democrats say even missed paychecks for US troops won’t be enough to end shutdown alone – 10/9/25)
      • “Two FEMA staffers… said the shutdown has exacerbated concerns about preparation for hurricanes and other severe summer weather.” (Politico: ‘Six months to catch up’: What the shutdown cost DHS – 5/2/26)
      • “The U.S. Coast Guard cannot pay its bills. The military branch — now 76 days into the longest shutdown in U.S. history — owes over $300 million in unpaid obligations. And with thousands of utility bills overdue, totaling $5.2 million, duty stations and military housing worldwide are facing service shutdowns.” (CBS News: Coast Guard operating in "crisis" as DHS shutdown halts pay in May, cuts power, strains missions overseas – 4/30/26)
  • And now, Section 702 of FISA: “Senate Democrats early Friday morning blocked a motion to begin debate on extending the nation’s enhanced surveillance authorities… Every Senate Democrat except for Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) voted against the motion to proceed to the House measure, which would have served as the legislative vehicle for passing an extension of enhanced surveillance authorities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before they expire on June 12.” (The Hill: Senate Democrats block extension of spy powers to protest Trump’s choice of Pulte for DNI – 6/5/26)

DEMOCRATS UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT FISA SECTION 702 IS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY – PREVIOUSLY SAYING IT CAN NEVER BE ALLOWED TO LAPSE – BUT ARE SHUTTERING IT ANYWAY

  • “[T]his very important tool for ensuring our national security is going to lapse, and that would be unacceptable.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (4/17/24)
  • “[W]e're in the process -- we were in the process of trying to renew one of the most important intelligence tools we have. It's called Section 702 of the FISA bill. And we had bipartisan agreements.” – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) (6/10/26)
  • “Warner warned that amending the bill and sending it back to the House would ‘invite a sunset’ in authority, which he called an ‘unspeakable outcome that the president’s own intelligence advisory board has said will be remembered as one of the worst intelligence failures of our time.’” (The Hill: Schumer has only hours left to avoid FISA warrantless surveillance shutdown – 4/19/24)
  • “This program is critical to the security of our nation, and we could not permit it to lapse. I take the protection of Americans’ civil liberties seriously, and this was not an easy decision for me to make. I appreciate that this reauthorization bill contains the most significant reforms to Section 702 that have occurred during my Senate tenure.” – Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) (4/20/24)
  • “As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I’ve learned the vital role that FISA’s Section 702 authority plays in bolstering our nation’s ability to effectively fight terrorism, disrupt foreign cyberattacks, impede drug trafficking, and protect U.S. troops. For our national security and the safety of the American people, it is simply too important of a tool to let it expire.” – Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) (4/19/24)