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A video surveillance system on the East front of the Capitol building.<\/span>Bill Clark\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n A growing coalition<\/span> of political and civil society groups is pushing the new Democratic-majority Congress to curb the executive branch\u2019s warrantless surveillance powers once they take over in January. Trump officials and even some Democrats, meanwhile, are encouraging Republicans to renew those powers during the lame duck session, making it more difficult for<\/a> a bluer Congress to add guardrails to those powers next year.<\/p>\n As we reported earlier this week<\/a>, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)\u2014a provision used by US intelligence agencies to spy on the electronic communications of thousands of people outside the United States without a warrant\u2014lapsed in June. The National Security Agency can continue operating under the law until March 2027, but a renewal would extend that timeline. Privacy advocates and civil libertarians have long decried<\/a> Section 702, which was introduced in 2008 to retroactively legalize a post-9\/11 wiretapping program, as unconstitutional. Earlier this year, seven Republicans defied Trump<\/a> and voted against renewing it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Incoming House Intelligence Committee head\u00a0Rep. Jim Himes (D\u2013Conn.), a surveillance hawk, told Republicans this week to \u201cget this thing done\u201d and renew Trump\u2019s warrantless spy powers. Himes is joined<\/a> by top national security officials in the administration\u2014Attorney General Todd Blanche, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. In a joint letter, the three said President Trump has asked them to extend Section 702 now\u2014as a renewal next year by the Democrat-controlled Congress would likely impose stronger warrant requirements on searching for information about Americans in the Section 702 database.<\/p>\n Many Americans are increasingly frustrated with being watched\u2014from the 120,000 Flock cameras<\/a> on our roads to the electronic monitoring<\/a> of anti-ICE protesters\u2014and last week\u2019s elections reflected that. In a letter to Democratic leaders shared exclusively with Mother Jones<\/em>, 80 civil rights groups outlined an anti-surveillance agenda they hope Democrats will pursue come January.<\/p>\n \n