WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) released the following statement today after voting for a two-year reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows U.S. Intelligence Agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance of non-citizens living outside of the United States:
“Section 702 of FISA is a critical national security tool that protects the United States against acts of terror. By reauthorizing this program for two years, instead of the five-year extension that was previously considered, we are protecting American citizens while working towards reasonable reforms that ensure this tool is used correctly. Section 702 does not permit the FBI to surveil American citizens. Warrantless surveillance of Americans is wrong, it is unconstitutional, and it will not be tolerated. There are safeguards in place to prevent such abuses, but Congress and the next administration will use this two-year reauthorization to expand and improve upon those important protections for American citizens,” said Rep. Carter.
The 2024 reauthorization of FISA Section 702 made 55 reforms to prevent against abuses. These reforms include:
Disqualifying over 90% of the FBI from obtaining U.S. person queries;
Prohibiting the FBI from querying for evidence of a crime;
Creating a specific criminal liability for Section 702 leaks;
Conditioning FBI compensation on query compliance;
Mandating independent audits of all FBI U.S. person queries;
Creating enhanced criminal penalties for those who violate FISA, leak FISA applications, or lie to the FISA Court;
Authorizing the FISA Court to prosecute for contempt;
Prohibiting use of political opposition research and press reports as justification for a FISA order;
Mandating that FISA Court proceedings be transcribed and submitted to Congress;
Assigning legal counsel to scrutinize U.S. person surveillance applications; and,
Requiring the same FISA Court judge that granted the application to rule on surveillance extensions.
