JUST IN: Biden admin pressured House members to pass FISA without warrant requirements

Members of the top of the Biden administration were calling House members in Congress to pressure them to push forward FISA without any warrant requirement.  

Leading up to the vote on the Biggs amendment that would have put a requirement to get warrants for US citizens. It ultimately did not pass, tying 212-212 in a vote.  

The White House was using talking points such as "Congress has a responsibility to the American public to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is one of our nation's most critical intelligence authorities. However, the Biggs Amendment would be detrimental to our national security." 

Another talking point that was being used by the Biden administration included, "Bottom line: rather than the warrant requirement some Members have been calling for, the Biggs amendment amounts to a ban on accessing information that could prevent attacks and save lives, with exceptions that are so narrow as to be ultimately useless. This would make us less safe.” 

On Thursday, the White House put out a statement in support of FISA without the Biggs amendment. 

"The Administration strongly opposes the amendment proposed by Rep. Biggs to H.R. 7888 that would rebuild a wall around, and thus block our access to, already lawfully collected information in the possession of the U.S. Government," it said in Thursday's statement. 

It also added, "To protect the American people, we need to maintain this vital collection authority while strengthening its protective guardrails with the most robust set of reforms ever included in legislation to reauthorize Section 702, and H.R. 7888 does that."