President Donald Trump is expected to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday about the looming expiration of a power surveillance law and Democrats' opposition to Bill Pulte's nomination as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Trump and Johnson are working on next steps and finalizing an agreement on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Democrats have refused to move forward with any action on warrantless spying after Trump appointed Pulte to the role. Pulte, the federal housing chief, lacks the national security experience to lead the country’s intelligence agencies, according to Democrats.
The Senate last week had blocked debate on the measure in a 47-52 vote, just days before the program goes dark on June 12, dealing a major setback for Republicans.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has called on his Democrat colleagues to break the current impasse over the power surveillance law set to expire in just four days.
“America’s enemies, however, will not go dark,” he added. “I hope my Democrat colleagues will rethink their decision to hold the program hostage before we all have cause to regret the consequences.”
Responding to Thune on Thursday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) defended the Democrats' stance on the issue.
"The notion that we can put a temporary person in charge of 17 or 18 intelligence agencies across the globe dedicated to keeping us safe 24/7 because he's loyal to the President's politics ain't enough," Warner said. "You ought to be qualified before you take on a job of that magnitude. Mr. Pulte is not qualified."
Thune previously suggested that the Trump administration will need a permanent DNI nominee in order to attract enough Democratic support to break the current deadlock.
Separately, Trump confirmed that Pulte would not serve as his permanent nominee for the position and that other candidates were being interviewed for the role.
“He’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” the president said.
Trump’s initial director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned last month, citing her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis.