Senate Democrats Block FISA Renewal Over Pulte Appointment
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- Senate Democrats allowed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expire starting Saturday, blocking renewal in protest of Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte — a federal housing regulator with no national security background — as interim director of national intelligence
- Trump nominated Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former SEC chairman, as a permanent replacement on Thursday, after lawmakers had left Washington for the weekend, though Pulte remains set to take over as interim director on June 19 when Tulsi Gabbard departs
- Republicans warned the lapse threatens national security ahead of World Cup games and 250th anniversary celebrations, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune accusing Democrats of playing 'fast and loose' with security for the past year
- The strategy marks an escalation from a year ago, when Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was criticized within his party for voting with Republicans to keep the government open; since then Democrats have forced a 43-day shutdown, delayed immigration enforcement funding for months, and now blocked FISA
- Democrats have little to show in policy wins — they failed to win extended health care subsidies in the fall shutdown and did not secure the changes to ICE and Border Patrol they sought — but strategist Joel Payne said the posture has 'shifted to more of a fight posture' and won respect with base voters
- Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, both of whom lost recent primaries to Trump-backed opponents, joined Democrats in criticizing Pulte, as Trump has weakened GOP unity by backing primary challenges to incumbents
Why it matters: Democrats are wagering that blocking even bipartisan legislation wins them leverage with voters heading into November's midterms, but the FISA lapse hands Republicans a national security attack line tied to the World Cup and the nation's 250th anniversary. With Pulte's June 19 interim takeover locked in and Clayton's confirmation timeline uncertain, Democrats face a tactical choice on whether to fight or relent on the new nominee.
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