Congress Passes

• Als het lagerhuis van de staat het wetsvoorstel aanneemt, zou de hertekende kaart de Republikeinen in de staat een 5-1 meerderheid in het congres kunnen geven. • Donderdag stemde de senaat van Louisiana met 27-10 voor een nieuwe congreskaart die een van de twee districten in het Huis met een Zwarte meerderheid zou elimineren. • De resulterende kaart zou de Republikeinen in Louisiana een 5-1 meerderheid in het congres kunnen bezorgen.

• The U.S. Congress passed a 45‑day stopgap extension of a controversial law granting warrantless surveillance authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, giving lawmakers more time to debate limits on bulk data collection. • The extension narrowly averted an automatic lapse of the surveillance regime, which intelligence officials say underpins roughly half of the National Security Agency’s counterterrorism and counter‑espionage operations. • Civil‑liberties groups criticized the short‑term fix, arguing that the U.S. government continues to collect vast amounts of Americans’ digital communications without individualized warrants, while the White House pressed Congress to restore full Section 702 powers.

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats. Continue reading...

• Congress approved a temporary extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) ahead of the expiration deadline, avoiding a lapse in government surveillance authority. • The temporary extension allows additional time for lawmakers to negotiate a longer-term reauthorization of the controversial surveillance program. • The action reflects ongoing congressional debate over balancing national security needs with privacy protections in intelligence gathering operations.

Trump repeatedly demanded that Republicans unify to pass a longer extension of the Fisa warrantless spying lawBoth chambers of Congress voted in quick succession Friday to pass a brief 10-day extension of a controversial warrantless surveillance law after Republican infighting tanked plans for a much longer renewal of the law with no changes.Donald Trump had repeatedly demanded that Republican holdouts “UNIFY” behind Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, in favor of an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) without changes. But chaos ensued late Thursday as Republican leadership tried and failed twice in votes attempting to reauthorize the surveillance program, before resorting to a stopgap measure. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Senate unanimously passed Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act on March 20, 2026, requiring members of Congress to undergo standard TSA screening like other passengers. • The bill prohibits federal funds for expedited access at checkpoints, addressing perks that allow lawmakers to bypass lines amid a DHS funding shutdown affecting 120,000 employees without paychecks. • Cornyn stated, 'Members of Congress are getting an unfair perk... trust in Congress is at an all-time low,' emphasizing restoration of public trust as key impact.