Trump signs bill extending controversial surveillance powers until Apr 30

Washington: President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a bill extending a controversial surveillance program until April 30, a short-term renewal that sets up another showdown in Congress.

The bill was approved by the Senate on Friday in a last-minute scramble to prevent the authority from expiring within a matter of days. Trump and Republican leaders have pushed for its renewal, calling it a matter of national security. Critics are concerned about its impact on civil liberties.

At the centre of the debate is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyse vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. In doing so, they can incidentally sweep up communications involving Americans who interact with foreign targets.


Extending the programme has become a recurring fight.

Trump and GOP leaders have been pushing for a clean 18-month renewal, while the House Republicans on Thursday came out with a five-year extension with revisions to appease sceptics. After both of those bills collapsed, leaders pivoted to the stopgap measure.

Critics want changes including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans.

Trump signed the bill Saturday without any immediate comment. The authority was set to expire on Monday.