After weeks of internal clashes, House Republicans are struggling to move forward on four major pieces of legislation. Those include extending U.S. surveillance authorities, ending the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and advancing key farm policy — all while managing deep divisions within their own conference. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins has more on where things stand.
Geoff Bennett:
Well, it has been a busy week across Washington. And it’s also a critical one on Capitol Hill.
After weeks of internal clashes, House Republicans are trying and struggling to move forward on more on four major pieces of legislation. Those include extending U.S. surveillance authorities, ending the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security and advancing key farm policy, all while managing deep divisions within their own conference.
Our congressional correspondent, Lisa Desjardins, joins us now to help us make sense of all of this.
So, Lisa, let’s start with this DHS shutdown, which has been going on for a record two months. What’s the latest?
Lisa Desjardins:
It does not look like that shutdown will end this week. And let me talk about why.
Well, first of all, I want to remind viewers that the Senate has already passed twice bills that would find most of DHS. They would carve out ICE and Border Patrol for a separate, more complicated process. So the Senate has taken that action. It was passed in a bipartisan manner by Democrats and — senators and Republicans together.
But Speaker Mike Johnson and his House Republicans have now made it clear that they will not accept that bill. They’re going to write their own way to fund the DHS issue. And they have a problem because the Senate bill would technically zero out DHS funding for this year.
However, I want to remind our viewers that last year DHS got a special appropriation when you — of One Big Beautiful Bill, tens of billions of dollars that would fund it for years. So the idea of zeroing out this year’s money really may not affect it too much. So where does all that leave us?
The House and Senate fighting each other and something that could end up taking days, if not weeks. But, reminder, there are tens of thousands of employees, including TSA employees, who will not be paid after this Friday. And that could build pressure.
Geoff Bennett:
Meantime, you have got U.S. intelligence agencies saying that one of their most powerful surveillance tools is set to expire. And there are also conservatives who say, OK, but we want more protections. Tell us about that.
Lisa Desjardins:
Right.
This is FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Section 702. This allows the U.S. to spy and have wiretaps on foreign actors. There are concerns from conservatives, especially some of them, about protections for American data, getting caught up on that.
What they wanted today was warrants, force for warrants on American data. They didn’t get that. They got some reforms in a deal in the House with Speaker Johnson. But this expires tomorrow. And what they have put in the bill in the House is something that would ban the Federal Reserve from issuing what’s called a Central Bank digital currency.
That’s also a concern about digital overreach or government overreach. This is all swirled together in a way that means the House has passed a different or is looking at — has just passed a different FISA reauthorization than the Senate.
I know that’s confusing, but what it means is that tomorrow’s deadline for FISA, they won’t be able to pass a long-term reauthorization. They’re hoping Senator John Thune has just said to do something short-term probably with just hours left.
Geoff Bennett:
And then you also have the farm bill, which has all sorts of provisions in it. That’s held up in the House?
Lisa Desjardins:
Yes. And, this, we’re watching very closely tonight. Speaker Johnson made a deal with conservatives to put off a vote on this. There are two issues, one, pesticides, that House Republicans are divided over, and the other over whether to expand ethanol sales in this country E15.
He said he would put off these votes for weeks. He’s changed his mind in the last couple of hours. And there is great internal strife, to put it lightly over this. So we will watch the farm bill closely as well.
Geoff Bennett:
It’s all happening in real time.
Lisa Desjardins, thank you.
Lisa Desjardins:
You’re welcome.
