US House Speaker Johnson meets with Trump with surveillance law at risk
WASHINGTON - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss his controversial appointment of loyalist Bill Pulte as his chief intelligence adviser, which could stand in the way of renewing an expiring domestic surveillance law that lawmakers say is vital to U.S. national security.
Trump's appointment of the mortgage regulator to serve as acting director of national intelligence has led to a showdown in the Senate, where Democrats blocked renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act out of concern over his fitness for the job and worries that he may abuse his position to pursue Trump's perceived enemies. The spying powers are due to expire on Friday.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, told reporters that Johnson was meeting with Trump to discuss next steps. "One of the reasons that the speaker's not here right now is he's over at the White House working with the president to finalize this agreement on FISA," he said.
The law allows authorities to bypass warrant requirements before rifling through vast hauls of Americans' communication data. U.S. spy chiefs have long defended the program, saying it provides an irreplaceable surveillance tool. Its extension must be passed by the Senate and House before Trump can sign it into law.
Pulte, who has no experience in the intelligence field, was named by Trump to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned effective June 30. His lack of experience outraged Republicans and Democrats. Democrats also worry that Pulte, who has used his position as head of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency to attack Trump's political targets, could use the spying powers for political purposes.
Senate Republicans have a 53-47 seat majority and would need support from at least seven Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold for passing the legislation.
Senator John Barrasso, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, told reporters that Republicans have urged the White House to name a full-time nominee who can be confirmed by the Senate.
He also said some Republicans wonder if it is still necessary for the U.S. to have a director of national intelligence, a post created a quarter-century ago in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
"There are a number of us that think that this is a position that doesn't need to be there," Barrasso said. "As long as it is there, we want somebody that can be confirmed because of their knowledge in the area."
(Reporting by David Morgan and Katharine Jackson in Washington; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Matthew Lewis)
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:43 AM.