Díaz-Balart Votes to Protect Americans and Prevent Another 9/11 Tragedy
Position: Congressman Díaz-Balart supports the extension of Section 702 FISA authority through April 2029, citing civil rights reforms implemented in the 2024 reauthorization and the necessity of the tool for national security against foreign threats.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, issued the following statement after House Republicans voted to extend S.1318, the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act, through April 2029: “In 2024, when House Republicans extended FISA at President Trump's urging, we did so with the largest FBI and FISA reforms in decades. The reauthorization included 56 new civil rights reform mandates implemented to establish guardrails to protect Americans’ right to privacy. This FISA extension will continue to protect American civil rights and U.S. national security from hostile foreign threats.” Background: Since the 2024 law took effect, U.S.-person queries have decreased. The law restricts law enforcement from checking the 702 databases for evidence of a crime, ensuring 702 information is used only for foreign intelligence. Today, only 6% of law enforcement personnel have access to FISA 702 data, and in 2025, only 3% of all 702 data was accessed. Critically, FISA is meant to target bad actors outside of the United States. The U.S. government cannot use Section 702 to target Americans’ electronic communications for collection–that would require a warrant under a different FISA authority. Image