The House of Representatives voted Thursday to extend expiring surveillance powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for 10 days, averting an immediate lapse in a key intelligence tool while lawmakers continue negotiating a longer-term reauthorization. The short-term measure passed after conservative members blocked a broader deal that would have extended the authority for a lengthier period.

Section 702 permits U.S. spy agencies to collect electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside the United States without an individual warrant. The authority is widely considered among the most significant tools available to American intelligence agencies and is used to monitor terrorism suspects, foreign governments, and hostile actors. It has also drawn criticism from civil liberties advocates who argue it incidentally sweeps up the communications of American citizens.

The collapse of a longer-term agreement forced House leadership to pursue the stopgap approach, pushing a full reauthorization fight to the end of April. Conservative members raised objections over the scope of the surveillance powers and the lack of additional privacy protections, creating an unusual alignment with some progressive lawmakers who have long sought reforms to the program.

The extension keeps the intelligence authorities intact in the near term, giving negotiators additional time to broker a compromise. Intelligence officials and national security advocates have urged Congress to act quickly, warning that allowing the authority to lapse — even briefly — could disrupt ongoing foreign intelligence operations. A final deal will likely need to address competing demands over warrant requirements, oversight mechanisms, and the breadth of permissible surveillance activity.