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Senate extends surveillance powers until April 30 after longer renewal collapsed in House

The measure extends warrantless surveillance powers for 13 days after Republicans rejected longer renewals and privacy advocates sought new limits.

  • The Senate passed the extension by voice vote Friday morning, following a series of failed votes in the House that saw both a five-year compromise and an 18-month "clean" renewal—demanded by the President—blocked by a coalition of GOP members and Democrats.
  • Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to retreat to the 10-day stopgap at 2:00 AM after approximately 20 Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the longer extensions, arguing the bills lacked a mandatory warrant requirement for searching Americans' data.
  • The President and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have lobbied aggressively for an extension without new warrant restrictions, warning that losing the authority would "imperil national security" and disrupt the administration's ongoing counter-espionage efforts.
  • The temporary measure now moves to the President's desk for his signature, setting up a new high-stakes deadline of April 30 for lawmakers to settle the debate over civil liberties and the "backdoor search" loophole.
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npr broke the news in Washington, United States on Friday, April 17, 2026.
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