The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to extend a controversial section of a surveillance law that allows U.S. intelligence agencies to gather information about non-Americans located outside the country.
The measure re-authorises a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 2008 that is due to expire on January 19.
The bill passed 256 to 164 in the lower chamber and now moves on to the Senate.
The FISA provision in question is a key tool used by the U.S. intelligence community to conduct foreign surveillance within the U.S.
Supporters said it helps in the fight against terrorism.
Opponents said it infringes on privacy.
The measure would give U.S. spy agencies a six-year extension of what they consider their key national security surveillance tool: their ability to collect from U.S. internet companies the emails and other communications of foreign targets located outside the United States.
A group of Democrats and Republicans were unsuccessful in their attempt to amend the legislation to provide protection for Americans whose data could be scooped up by spy agencies.
It would have required law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before being able to obtain data on Americans who might have been in touch with foreign targets.
President Donald Trump caused some confusion ahead of the vote by issuing contradictory statements.
He first implied his displeasure with the bill by saying FISA might have been used to “surveil and abuse’’ his election campaign team.
Trump later changed his tune, saying the bill was about “foreign surveillance of foreign bad guys’’ and urging support. (dpa/NAN)