Trump Signs Short-Term FISA Section 702 Extension Through April 30

President Trump signed a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on April 19, 2026, keeping the controversial surveillance authority alive until April 30, 2026. The Senate had approved the stopgap measure on Friday in a last-minute scramble before the authority was set to expire Monday. Section 702 allows the CIA, NSA, FBI and other intelligence agencies to collect and analyze foreign communications without warrants — with Americans' communications incidentally captured when communicating with foreign targets. Two earlier proposals failed to gain sufficient support: an 18-month clean renewal backed by Trump and GOP leadership, and a 5-year extension with civil liberties modifications favored by some House Republicans. The stopgap extension buys Congress less than two weeks to negotiate a longer-term resolution, with civil libertarians continuing to press for warrant requirements before agencies can search Americans' emails and calls.