Crow blasts FISA extension, warns against trading civil liberties

Democratic Rep. Jason Crow used a prime Sunday platform to draw a hard line on surveillance powers, saying he would not back reauthorizing FISA by sacrificing constitutional rights, privacy and civil liberties. His comments landed as Washington was already focused on Iran, defense policy and the administration’s broader national security posture.

Crow appeared on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan alongside Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Amos Hochstein and Kevin Book. CBS said the program aired at 10:30 a.m. ET and streamed at 12:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and CBSNews.com, with the episode framed by questions over U.S.-Iran diplomacy, energy security and congressional oversight.

Brennan noted that Crow serves on both the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee, then pressed him on Bill Pulte’s role as acting director of national intelligence and on the lapse of surveillance authority under FISA. Crow said he had voted for the program before, but not this time, because he would not trade Americans’ constitutional rights for what he described as a temporary extension of the system.

The exchange sharpened a growing fight over how far Congress should go to preserve intelligence tools that have long divided Democrats and Republicans. Crow’s position was not a blanket rejection of surveillance, but a refusal to extend authority on terms he said would weaken privacy protections. In his framing, the administration was asking lawmakers to give up rights in exchange for protection.

His comments echoed an earlier clash in the House Armed Services Committee during June markup of the National Defense Authorization Act, where Crow offered an amendment to block the administration from using uniformed military lawyers as immigration judges and special U.S. attorneys. House Republicans rejected that proposal, underscoring how often Crow has taken positions that put civil liberties ahead of executive branch flexibility.

The broadcast also unfolded against a parallel Iran debate. The Sheffield Press said Trump claimed negotiators were headed to Pakistan for a peace deal with Iran, while Senate Republicans including Graham were pressing for a role in any agreement and questioning its terms. That made the Sunday lineup more than a routine political chat: it was another checkpoint in the debate over how much power Washington should hand the government, at home and abroad, in the name of security.