North State Republican Rep. James Gallagher’s first week in Congress included a vote on a major foreign-intelligence surveillance authority.
The vote gave an early look at where Gallagher lines up on national security and the White House, as controversy swirled around President Donald Trump’s pick of housing official Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
Gallagher, who was endorsed by Trump in the June 2 primary elections, voted yes on a short-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It’s a spy tool the Trump administration wanted Congress to keep alive.
But the measure failed Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives, with most Democrats and 19 Republicans voting no. Gallagher’s vote aligned him with House Republican leaders and most GOP members.
Democrats said they would not help renew the surveillance tool as long as Pulte remained Trump’s selection for acting intelligence chief, NPR reported. Trump has since nominated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to the permanent role.
FISA Section 702 allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications from foreigners outside the U.S. to track overseas threats, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
But critics say Americans’ calls, texts or emails can also be swept up without a warrant, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan policy institute.
Since being sworn in on Wednesday to serve the remainder of the late Doug LaMalfa’s term, Gallagher also voted yes on the No Aid for Ghost Students Act, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act and the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act, all of which passed the GOP-led House.
In a candidate interview before the June 2 election, Gallagher told NSPR that he believes fraud in government programs is one of the top issues facing North State residents.
“Waste, fraud and abuse, huge issue right now,” he said. “We’re seeing vital dollars that we need for healthcare, for programs that are getting wasted either on boondoggle projects like the high-speed rail or fraudulent actors.”
Meanwhile, Gallagher is running in the November general election for a full term in California’s 1st Congressional District, which was redrawn under Proposition 50 to be more competitive for Democrats.
His opponent is Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire, who said in a statement after Gallagher was sworn in that Trump “is getting another loyal foot soldier in Congress” and that North State communities “need leaders who will stand up and fight back, not fall in line.”
