Congress can finally close a mass surveillance loophole — but will they?

Congress faces an April 20th deadline to reauthorize FISA Section 702, a surveillance law allowing warrantless access to Americans' communications through a "backdoor search loophole." A bipartisan coalition is pushing the Government Surveillance Reform Act, requiring warrants for accessing Americans' data and restricting surveillance of location, web browsing, and AI chatbot records. The White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson are pushing for a "clean" extension without new guardrails, while privacy advocates warn the Trump administration could abuse the law's unchecked powers.