Trump's spy chiefs put Republican leaders on the clock over 'huge priority' as power shift looms over Congress

The letter, signed by Attorney General Todd Blanche, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, sets a deadline of December 9, 2026, less than a month before the new Congress will be sworn into office. It is addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

National Security Priority

An administration official told Fox News Digital that the intelligence measure is at the top of the White House's agenda to get passed in the still-Republican-controlled Congress before Democrats take a majority on Capitol Hill in January.

Critical Intelligence Tool

The letter emphasizes that Section 702 is "the single most indispensable tool we have to keep our homeland and the American people safe." It enables intelligence agencies to detect and disrupt terrorist plots, cyber intrusions, and weapons proliferation.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence credits Section 702 for thwarting terrorist activities, including a mass casualty terror attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria, in 2024. The ODNI notes that 63% of the articles in Trump's daily brief contained FISA Section 702 information reported by the National Security Agency in 2025.

Controversial Surveillance

FISA's Section 702 has a controversial history, with privacy activists and constitutional scholars arguing it amounts to warrantless surveillance. Under Section 702, intelligence agencies can clandestinely collect communications of Americans if they are speaking to foreigners who are targets of investigations.

The letter explains that the statutory authority of Section 702 has lapsed, and that collection of such materials will expire on March 16 if FISA is not reauthorized. The December 9 deadline is necessary to allow intelligence agencies time to complete renewal steps before the March expiration.

"To prevent a gap in critical intelligence and avoid putting our nation at risk, the government must start the 2027 renewal process by then," the letter states. "If collection stops, we cannot simply turn 702 back on." The administration has offered to brief Congress again on the intelligence enabled by Section 702 and the risks if it expires.