Speaker Johnson: FISA Reforms Will Stop Program's Abuses

House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday called on Congress to take quick action on reforming and reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), saying major changes are being discussed to stop the program from being abused as it was in the past.

"We're enacting sweeping changes — 50 reforms, 56 to be exact — to the program that are in the base text that will stop the abuse of politicized FBI queries and prevent another Russia hoax debacle, among many other important reforms," Johnson wrote in a statement.

The changes will mean that outside documentation will not be allowed to be used when the FBI is seeking a warrant, such as was used during former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign in the FBI's surveillance of campaign aide Carter Page.

"No more Steele dossier, no more of the intelligence community relying on fake news reports to order a FISA order, no more collusion," Johnson added.

During the House GOP leadership weekly news conference Johnson also discussed the upcoming House vote on a resolution to denounce the Biden administration for its immigration policies.

"Every American should be paying attention to how [their] representative votes on that," he said. "We've been talking about this ad nauseam in this room and everywhere at every press conference and every media appearance that we've had for the last many months — for the last three years for that matter because since Joe Biden went into the Oval Office beginning on day one, they began to open that border wide."

House Republicans have documented 64 specific executive actions and agency actions undertaken by President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas "took intentionally, deliberately" to open the border and "send the welcome message" worldwide.

This included "violent criminals and terrorists and foreign nationals who are coming here to do us harm," he said.

Johnson added he believes that under Biden, "the number is probably somewhere close to 16 million people that have gotten into this country illegally, including hundreds who are on the national terrorist watch list.

"It's a catastrophe that was caused by intentional policy choices. It also means conversely, that policy choices can get us out of this," he said. "This is an opportunity for Democrats today to distance themselves from Joe Biden's broken border. And if they stand with him, it'll be yet another sign to the American people that Democrats don't want border security. Good luck with that argument."

He also accused Democrats of being "weak on Israel," saying Biden is giving ultimatums to Israel, rather than Hamas, even though more than 130 hostages remain in captivity if not already killed by terrorists.

"Shamefully, since Oct. 7 Joe Biden has transformed into an anti-Israel president," he said. "There's really no other way to characterize it. He's more concerned seemingly with placating the antisemitism in his base than standing with our historic and vitally important ally."

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