type: timeline_event
The White House convened top-level staff and lawmakers on February 10, 2026, to discuss renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance authority set to expire on April 20, 2026. The meeting included CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, senior advisor Stephen Miller, and Republican Representatives Jim Jordan and Rick Crawford.
Section 702 allows spy agencies to target communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant, but the process systematically sweeps up communications of Americans talking to targeted persons, raising major Fourth Amendment concerns. The FBI has acknowledged more than 200,000 warrantless searches of Americans' communications in a single year—over 500 warrantless searches per day—and has admitted to improperly searching for information on individuals involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and people arrested during 2020 racial justice protests.
The administration is reportedly seeking a "clean extension" of 18 months to three years without new civil liberties protections. However, this faces opposition from an unusual coalition of progressives and Trump allies critical of FISA abuses. During the 2024 reauthorization debate, a House amendment requiring warrants for 702 searches involving Americans' communications failed by a single vote in a 212-212 tie.
Notably, DNI Gabbard stated during her confirmation hearing that warrants "should generally be required before an agency undertakes a U.S. Person query of FISA Section 702 data, except in exigent circumstances." Rep. Jordan, one of Trump's chief congressional allies, previously sponsored legislation requiring all intelligence agencies to obtain court warrants before searching the 702 database.
A classified meeting the previous week between senators and intelligence officials reportedly "grew heated" as lawmakers struggled to get answers about whether the administration would support meaningful reforms. The House Judiciary Committee began working on a bipartisan bill to extend 702, becoming the first congressional panel with jurisdiction to draft renewal legislation.
The meeting underscores the tension between national security claims and constitutional protections, with civil liberties organizations warning that warrantless surveillance of Americans' communications violates Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.