The Senate reached a deal to reauthorize the controversial FISA spy program on Friday night despite days of hardened opposition, teeing up a series of votes hours before the law expires.
A bipartisan group of privacy hawks had refused to fast-track the legislation, which renews Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but they agreed to relent after party leadership offered six amendment votes that address civil liberties concerns. None are expected to pass.
The deal, flirting with a midnight deadline despite White House warnings the lapse would pose a danger to national security, marks a dramatic finish to a bitter saga that for weeks reignited debate over the proper limits of government surveillance.
The Senate cleared a test vote on Friday night that indicated the legislation, which grants the government fresh authority to spy on foreign persons,
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