Brevard Sun

Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) took a firm stance against the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) citing concerns over the continued abuse of the system by federal agencies. Posey's dissenting vote was driven by the revelation that the FBI had improperly targeted U.S. citizens without a warrant in a staggering 278,000 instances, as disclosed in an unsealed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) filing.

"While the bill made some reforms, there are still serious concerns with the federal government’s conduct of intelligence surveillance, and I continue to have serious objections to FISA, and how top officials at the U.S. Department of Justice abused this authority without any accountability," stated Congressman Posey.

FISA was originally established by Congress to monitor foreign threats, but Posey highlighted that federal agencies have veered off course by using FISA powers to spy on law-abiding Americans and interfere in elections. The lack of accountability for past abuses by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI has fueled widespread apprehension among the public regarding the unchecked surveillance of U.S. citizens under the guise of national security. Posey emphasized the misuse of FISA by federal officials who operate without facing any repercussions for their actions.

The Congressman's decision to vote against the reauthorization of FISA underscores the growing discontent with how the system has been exploited by unelected and unaccountable government officials. As concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties continue to mount, the debate surrounding FISA and its oversight mechanisms is expected to persist in the political landscape.