Why Isn’t The GOP Using FISA As Leverage For SAVE America Act?
'It’ll be a disaster in the implementation of it.'
GOP hard-liners derail government's spying power despite pressure from Trump
The House has failed to pass an 18-month extension of FISA after 20 Republicans defied President Donald Trump and tanked the late-night vote.
Republican leadership intended to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through October 2027, but 20 GOP members blocked the extension in a 2:07 a.m. vote Friday, citing major privacy concerns. Due to growing frustration from conservatives, FISA was instead extended only through April 30 to give the conference more time to continue meaningful negotiations before approving a long-term extension.
'I am willing to risk that.'
These hard-liners are: Republican Reps. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; Eric Burlison of Missouri; Michael Cloud of Texas; Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Eli Crane of Arizona; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Andy Harris of Maryland; Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Mary Miller of Illinois; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; John Rose of Tennessee; Keith Self of Texas; and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
"Last night between midnight and 2am, they tried to pass two bad versions of FISA," Massie said in a post on X. "Both would have allowed Feds to unconstitutionally spy on Americans. We stopped both versions, but the fight isn’t over. Eventually, it was decided to give them two more weeks to fix FISA."
Republicans were well on their way to "fixing" FISA, with conservatives making progress on key requirements. Hard-liners insisted on meaningful warrant requirements and guardrails for central bank digital currency, a source familiar with the negotiations told Blaze News. A two-month extension was also floated in order to give Republicans more time to hammer out these crucial provisions.
Despite negotiations in good faith, this progress was thrown out the window in the 11th hour when a five-year extension with weak warrant requirements was put up for a vote, prompting hard-liners to tank the effort altogether.
This internal rebellion came about despite Trump's advocacy for a FISA extension because "it is extremely important to our Military."
"While parts of FISA were illegally and unfortunately used against me in the Democrats’ disgraceful Witch Hunt and Attack in the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA Hoax, and perhaps would be used against me in the future, I am willing to risk that as a Citizen in order to do what is right for our Country," Trump said in a Truth Social Post.
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House GOP subpoenas Pam Bondi over Epstein files
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi Tuesday over her handling of the Epstein files.
The committee voted to approve the subpoena requiring Bondi to appear for a deposition over the Department of Justice's handling of the investigation and in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
In the subpoena, Comer said Bondi's deposition could "inform legislative solutions" to improve the government's response to sex trafficking and to "reform the use of non-prosecution agreements and/or plea agreements" related to sex crimes.
'This subpoena is completely unnecessary.'
Although the subpoena refrained from harshly criticizing Bondi, it was ultimately greenlit on March 4 by committee Republicans who have expressed concerns about Bondi's leadership.
Every committee Democrat voted in favor of the subpoena, as well as Republican Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Michael Cloud of Texas, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
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The DOJ called the subpoena "completely unnecessary," arguing that Bondi has "made herself available" to lawmakers with respect to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
“This subpoena is completely unnecessary," a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. "Lawmakers have been invited to view the unredacted files for themselves at the Department of Justice, and the Attorney General has always made herself available to speak directly with members of Congress."
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"She continues to have calls and meetings with members of Congress on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which is why the Department offered to brief the committee tomorrow," the spokesperson added. "As always, we look forward to continuing to provide policymakers with the facts.”
Bondi is now called on to appear before the committee on April 14.
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3 debunked Democrat claims about the SAVE America Act
Democrats and legacy media have put forth several mischaracterizations and even flat-out lies about the GOP's latest election integrity bill.
The House passed the SAVE America Act Wednesday with unanimous Republican support and with even one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, joining the GOP. The bill would put in place basic election integrity requirements like providing proof of citizenship and photo ID to register and vote in federal elections.
'If you buy a 6-pack of beer you have to show an ID.'
The bill is now in the Senate, where Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is leading the effort to pass the legislation.
Although this proposal seems commonsense to most Americans, Democrats have caused a firestorm of hysteria and misconception. Here is the truth behind Democrats' most common rebuttals.
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1. 'It's already illegal!'
The SAVE America Act aims to protect ballots from election fraud, particularly from illegal aliens and noncitizens. Democrats are quick to point out that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections, and those Democrats who are willing to admit that noncitizens voting does occasionally happen insist it takes place at a negligible rate.
This is partially true. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in American elections, and when it does happen, estimates show it occurs less than 1% of the time. But even if the rate is extremely low, it's not zero. And while many elections are decisive victories, some are decided by razor-thin margins, making every ballot count.
In the 2024 election, former Republican Rep. John Duarte of California was unseated by Democrat Adam Gray by just 187 votes, chipping away at a historically thin GOP advantage in the House. But it's not just local elections that are decided by such narrow margins. In 2020, former President Joe Biden won several swing states by just thousands of votes, including Georgia by 11,779 votes and Arizona by just 10,457 votes.
There's no way to know if any of those votes were cast fraudulently, which is precisely the problem. Americans should have total confidence that every ballot counted in an election is a legitimate vote that reflects the political will of a United States citizen. The SAVE America Act would help do just that.
2. 'Jim Crow 2.0'
Democrats are no stranger to playing the race card, claiming that requiring photo ID somehow unfairly affects minorities. Perhaps most notable of them all is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who unabashedly likened the SAVE Act to Jim Crow-era rules.
"I have said it before and I'll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate," Schumer said in a statement earlier this month. "It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to. If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown."
Apart from Schumer's soft bigotry of low expectations, his claim is simply inaccurate. The SAVE America Act offers a wide range of acceptable documents to prove citizenship, including a valid U.S. passport, a REAL ID that indicates citizenship, a U.S. military identification card that shows birthplace in the U.S., a birth certificate or other equivalent naturalization documents, and even some tribal IDs like the American Indian card.
Presenting a photo ID is also already a requirement to vote in some states as well as for countless other activities and purchases, including boarding a plane and casting a vote as a member of Congress.
"If you buy a 6-pack of beer you have to show an ID," Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee joked in a post on X. "End this racism."
3. 'It's an attack on women!'
Another claim Democrats have repeatedly made is that the new requirements disproportionately impact women who have changed their names after marriage. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said that the name change "creates a real problem" for her, implying that the legislation is the GOP's latest attempt to suppress women's votes.
The absurdity of Warren's claim is self-evident. Married women often obtain documentation with their new names for other processes that require identification, such as purchasing alcohol or opening a bank account. In addition, women are not limited to producing birth certificates, but also may provide other forms of acceptable ID, such as a passport or a REAL ID.
RELATED: Lone Republican defies Trump, votes to tank the SAVE Act
Even in the rare case that a woman's ID is not updated with her new legal name, the SAVE America Act explicitly allows for name changes in documentation. The legislation requires states to establish fallback procedures for voters who have changed their names due to marriage, divorce, adoption, or another reason.
The reality is that none of the proposed requirements are novel or restrictive. They are simply common sense.
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'You're a piece of s**t': Nancy Mace and Cory Mills clash in heated exchange after failed censure
Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) evaded another censure effort Wednesday night, but not without some heated criticism from a Republican colleague.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina forced a censure vote on Mills Wednesday over "alleged stolen valor, arms deals he's under investigation for and alleged abuses toward women." Mace also went after Mills after a handful of Republicans blocked the censure of Democrat Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, who colluded with Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.
'The more we learn about this guy and his purported activities, the worse it is.'
Mace alleged that Plaskett's censure failed because Mills cut a "backroom deal" to suppress his own censure. Similar allegations were made toward Mills back in September when he was the deciding vote to protect Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's censure for the insensitive comments she made following Charlie Kirk's assassination.
"Another backroom deal so Cory Mills can’t get censored [sic] for Stolen Valor," Mace said in a post on X. "I have the General who 'recommended' him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it and never personally signed it. This. Is. Washington."
The two Republicans reportedly had a heated exchange on the House floor Wednesday night, with Mace calling Mills a "disgrace" and mouthing the words, "You're a piece of s**t."
Mace later addressed these outbursts in a post on X, saying the real scandal is Mills' track record.
"While Rep. Cory Mills is worried about my 'mean' words on the Floor last night — I'm worried about our national security and what sort of arms deals he or his companies have with foreign countries. I'm worried about how court records show he abuses women and had to have a restraining order set against him for it. I'm worried about how stealing the stories of other soldiers constitutes STOLEN VALOR and spits in the faces of veterans who gave it all Hold your tongue and sit this one out Mr. Mills."
The censure vote ultimately failed 310-103, with 204 Republicans and 106 Democrats defending Mills.
Only eight Republicans — Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Kat Cammack of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, and Mace — voted to advance the censure measure.
Although the censure failed, Mace still called the effort a win.
"Last night was a win with either outcome of the vote," Mace said in a post on X. "Now the Left can't do any more backroom deals with Mills or use Mills as a bargaining chip whenever a Republican moves to censure another. And his investigation has been formally referred to an Ethics Subcommittee."
"However, I pray leadership will remove Mills from his committees until Ethics is done with Mills. The more we learn about this guy and his purported activities, the worse it is."
Blaze News reached out to Mills' office for comment.
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