On Wednesday, January 28, Strauss Center Director Adam Klein testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in their hearing, “Review and Reform: The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA] and Executive Accountability.” The hearing was held in anticipation of the approaching sunset of FISA Section 702 in April 2026.

“For almost twenty years, Section 702 has helped our government protect the American people,” Klein began, in his prepared remarks. “…The basic principle is simple: When data from our foreign intelligence targets passes through the United States, it is collected to protect our nation.”

Throughout his testimony, Klein emphasized the significance of FISA Section 702 in enabling the United States Intelligence Community and law enforcement to collect critical investigative information in the interest of national security.

“The targets under 702 are non-Americans, overseas, who are likely to possess foreign intelligence information,” Klein explained, in discussing the balance of 4th Amendment civil liberties with investigative inquiries. “We have FBI conducting national security investigations, whether criminal or intelligence, here in the United States. And, if one of those people in the United States is connected to a priority foreign intelligence target, that is potentially very concerning, very alarming. We may need to act on that very quickly to prevent a terrorist attack or some other catastrophe.”

For more information, read Klein’s written testimony here and watch the Committee hearing in full here.