House Votes on Foreign Surveillance Program and Paves Way to End DHS Shutdown
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted Wednesday to renew a powerful foreign surveillance program and approved a measure already passed by the Senate to advance funding for ICE and the Border Patrol for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. The House voted 235-191 in favor of extending the surveillance program, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to expire this week. Later, lawmakers voted 215-211, largely along party lines, to approve the Republican budget resolution previously passed by the Senate, after a rebellion by House Republicans over an unrelated farm bill delayed the final vote by more than five hours. When asked to describe the chaotic day in one word, Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, responded, 'A damn mess.' The successful budget vote could unlock the Republican support needed to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down for a record 74 days due to Democrats' demands for reforms to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.