By a 273-147 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), with six of Alabama's seven members voting for the measure.
The lone "no" vote was U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise).
The measure reportedly extends and reforms Section 702 of FISA, allowing for warrantless surveillance of noncitizens abroad.
However, communications with Americans in contact with those being surveilled are sometimes swept up in the process, which was believed to have been a loophole abused by the Obama administration during former President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
"This legislation is called the 'Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,' but it has been used hundreds of thousands of times to violate Americans' Fourth Amendment rights and spy on them without a warrant," Moore said in a statement released after the vote. "I refuse to support legislation that allows the intelligence community, who has recently spent its resources weaponizing against pro-life grandmothers, concerned parents at school board meetings, Catholics, and Biden's political opponents, to freely spy on American citizens."
Other members of Alabama's congressional delegation hailed the passage, claiming the reforms established parameters to prevent spying on U.S. citizens, as was the case with the 2016 Trump campaign.
"Today, I voted to ensure the Department of Justice (DOJ) can no longer abuse its powers to target and spy on innocent Americans," U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) said in his statement after voting for the legislation. "I'll always make sure our intelligence community has the tools they need to keep us safe from threats around the globe, while making sure these tools cannot be used to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of innocent Americans. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) has previously been abused to target countless innocent Americans, including President Trump during his 2016 campaign. I voted to make sure FISA can never again be abused by the DOJ."
"In 2016, the FBI used information paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign to secure a FISA warrant authorizing federal spying on President Trump's campaign," U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) said. "It was the greatest political scandal in U.S. history, and if this bill had been in place at the time, it wouldn't have happened. As President Biden has gutted border enforcement and inflamed international tensions, America is facing unprecedented threats. Congress has a responsibility to protect the American people from these threats while making sure that the tools we provide cannot be abused by political leadership at the Department of Justice."
Voting along with Carl and Strong were U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) and Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham).
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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