Wednesday 24 June 2026
Eli Kronenberg /

FISA’s Section 702 Has Lapsed. What Now?

The foreign surveillance tool could affect intelligence capabilities, but probably not right away.
An American flag waves on a flagpole in front of a grand neoclassical government building with ornate columns and decorative architectural details against a clear blue sky.
An American flag waves in front of the Capitol Building on May 30, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

Just when it seemed Congress was headed toward a resolution to its standoff over renewing a vital foreign surveillance tool, President Donald Trump changed the playbook.

With the Senate unable to come to an agreement on renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a part of the law that authorizes the intelligence community to collect the digital communications of non-Americans abroad lapsed on June 12 for the first time in its history.

Eli Kronenberg is a Dispatch intern and a rising senior at Northwestern University. When he’s not reporting, he is usually taking long walks, listening to an array of podcasts, or riding the emotional rollercoaster of supporting Tottenham Hotspur.

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