Himes Urges Republicans to Renew Section 702 Before Democrats Take Power

Published November 12, 2026. Jim Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, urged Senate Republican leaders to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during the lame-duck session, before Democrats take control of Congress. He said he had discussed the measure with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and argued that waiting until next year could lead to a different version of the law.

Himes Backs Trump Surveillance Powers as Civil Liberties Groups Object

Published November 12, 2026. Jim Himes is urging Republicans to renew Section 702 before Democrats take control of Congress, backing the warrantless surveillance authority of President Donald Trump’s administration in the final weeks of the current Congress. The provision has been expired since June 12, after lawmakers failed to renew it without a warrant requirement for searches of Americans’ data.

Himes says passing a renewal now would secure the current version of the law; he has warned that next year’s measure could look very different. But civil liberties advocates argue Congress should not rush to restore broad surveillance powers before the new session. A coalition including the ACLU and Demand Progress urged lawmakers to keep reauthorization off the table until then, citing the use of Section 702 to monitor protesters, elected officials and journalists.

The dispute highlights the stakes of unchecked executive power: constitutional safeguards should apply regardless of who occupies the White House. Himes has defended Section 702 as rigorously overseen and said he has seen no evidence of abuse. Republicans who opposed renewal, including Mike Lee, have insisted that the government should need a warrant to access Americans’ private digital data.

Himes is also preparing to chair the House Intelligence Committee, where he says he will scrutinize Trump administration intelligence operations and examine whether analysts have faced pressure from senior officials. That oversight agenda makes his push to renew the authority now especially consequential: a law Congress restores without new limits would remain available to the administration his committee plans to investigate.

Himes Offers a Practical Path to Restore a Key Intelligence Tool

Published November 12, 2026. Jim Himes is pressing Senate Republicans to renew Section 702 during the lame-duck session, arguing that Congress should preserve an intelligence tool rather than risk a more restrictive measure next year. The senior Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee said he had discussed renewal with Majority Leader John Thune and wants lawmakers to act before Democrats take control.

Section 702 allows intelligence agencies to collect communications from targeted people outside the United States. It expired June 12 after lawmakers could not agree on a renewal, with opponents objecting that the government can search Americans’ data without first obtaining a warrant. Seven Senate Republicans joined opposition to renewal, while other lawmakers have proposed requiring probable cause before federal law enforcement accesses private digital information.

The debate is not simply about surveillance powers: it is also about whether Congress can preserve intelligence capabilities while maintaining oversight. Himes has defended the program as rigorously supervised and says he has seen no evidence of abuse. He says a renewal next year could be substantially different, making action now the more practical route.

Himes is expected to become House Intelligence Committee chair and has promised aggressive scrutiny of the Trump administration, including its covert operations and possible pressure on intelligence analysts. His call to renew Section 702 now reflects the view that the tool can be maintained while lawmakers continue overseeing how it is used. Republican critics of renewal say a warrant requirement must be part of any bill.