FISA Section 702 Expires in 45 Days; Cotton Pushes Clean Extension Using War as Leverage

FISA Section 702 expires April 20, and Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton is pushing an 18-month clean extension with zero reforms. The wartime framing is deliberate—surveillance hawks argue that demanding warrant requirements while troops are in contact would weaken intelligence capabilities. Reform advocates warn the war is being weaponized to permanently entrench warrantless collection of Americans' communications.