U.S. Congress Approves Extension of Surveillance Program for Foreign Nationals

The U.S. Senate has approved a bill to extend the authority of a program for monitoring phone calls and intercepting electronic communications of foreign nationals suspected of committing terrorist acts. The bill, which extends Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, received 60 votes in favor from Senate lawmakers, with 34 members opposing it. The document has been approved by the Senate in Congress and will be signed by President Joe Biden after the program expired on April 20. The bill extends the program until 2026. The White House Office of Management and Budget stated that it supports the extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, believing that without the extension, U.S. authorities would lose a tool for identifying threats to national security.