I remain committed to working closely with my colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight that does not allow for the possibility of abuse by this Administration.
Work closely with colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight of Section 702 reauthorization and prevent abuse by the administration.
Occurrences
February 26 Press Releases Dem Leadership, Himes, Meeks, Smith, Khanna Announce Iran WPR Vote Next Week ... House Democrats will force a vote on the Khanna-Massie Iran War Powers Resolution next week
I have long supported reforms to FISA 702 to further increase protections for Americans’ privacy and civil liberties and to improve oversight of this powerful tool... I hope to show there is a path to build on those reforms to require court approval before the FBI can access the results of any query involving a US person, political organization, or nonprofit—with targeted exceptions to ensure the FBI can address significant national security threats.
reiterated support for reforms, and said he was open to a short-term reauthorization to allow Congress to debate additional changes
I remain committed to working closely with my colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight that does not allow for the possibility of abuse by this Administration.
Evidence
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Himes said he offered an amendment to require DOJ court approval before FBI queries involving U.S. persons, political organizations, and nonprofits, with limited exceptions.
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The House record says Democrats led by Ranking Member Himes were diligent in pushing for reforms to Section 702 that would strengthen protections while preserving needed tools.
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The White House said the President signed S. 4465 into law, extending Title VII authorities of FISA, which includes Section 702 reauthorization.
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The House floor debate records that Himes remained committed to "working closely with my colleagues to ensure rigorous oversight that does not allow for the possibility of abuse by this Administration."
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Himes said he offered an amendment to require DOJ to seek a court order before the FBI can access the results of queries involving U.S. persons, political organizations, and nonprofit organizations, with limited exceptions.
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The White House stated that on April 30, 2026, the President signed S. 4465 into law, which amends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the authorities of title VII of FISA.
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GovInfo identifies S. 4465 as the enrolled bill for the FISA Amendments Act extension of title VII authorities.
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The Guardian reported that Senate Democrats and some Republicans blocked a bipartisan Section 702 reauthorization deal, leaving the renewal unresolved as the June 12 deadline approached.
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AP reported that the House rejected a short-term Section 702 extension by a 198-218 vote. The story also said Himes joined House Democratic leaders in a statement saying they could not support reauthorization without significant reforms, and that Himes-led Intelligence Democrats had called Bill Pulte a uniquely poor choice for acting DNI, tying the fight to concerns about abuse and oversight.
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Axios reported that the House rejected a short-term Section 702 extension on June 11, and said Himes joined Democratic leaders in saying they could not support reauthorization without significant reforms to protect national security and Americans' privacy rights.
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CT Insider reported that Himes was at the center of the June 2026 standoff over Bill Pulte, leading opposition to the appointment and calling it catastrophic, while the Section 702 renewal remained stalled.
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House Democratic leadership, Ranking Member Jim Himes, and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin said they opposed extending FISA Section 702 without meaningful reforms and said reauthorization required significant reforms to protect national security and Americans' constitutional privacy rights.
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The House Clerk recorded H.R. 9238, a bill to extend Title VII FISA authorities, as failed on June 11, 2026 by 198 yeas to 218 nays; Rep. Himes voted Nay.
Assessments
Himes materially pursued the promise in office: he publicly worked with Democratic colleagues and committee counterparts on Section 702 reauthorization, offered an amendment requiring court approval for certain FBI U.S.-person and organization queries, and opposed or conditioned clean extensions on stronger reforms. Section 702/title VII reauthorization activity occurred during the same congressional term, but the evidence does not show that Himes's specific oversight safeguards were enacted or that abuse by the administration was actually prevented. This supports partial fulfillment through concrete oversight effort, not full delivery of the promised protective outcome.
Himes appears to have materially pursued the promise in the same term: the record shows him working with colleagues during the Section 702 fight, publicly pressing for stronger safeguards, and offering an amendment to require court approval for certain U.S.-person queries. That supports real oversight effort and partial delivery on the 'work closely' and anti-abuse portions of the promise. But the evidence does not show that he ultimately secured the full rigorous oversight regime or definitively prevented abuse through enacted safeguards attributable to him, so full delivery is too strong. The later enactment or movement on reauthorization does not by itself prove his specific oversight goals were achieved.
Himes appears to have made a serious same-term effort on the promise: he publicly said he was working with colleagues on rigorous Section 702 oversight, was credited on the House floor with pushing reforms, and offered a concrete amendment requiring court approval for certain FBI queries. Section 702 was reauthorized when S. 4465 was signed on April 30, 2026, but the record provided does not show that Himes's specific anti-abuse safeguards were fully adopted or that he succeeded in preventing the administration abuses he warned about. Because he materially advanced the oversight fight but did not clearly deliver the promised protections, the best judgment is partial rather than delivered.
Himes clearly and repeatedly pushed for Section 702 oversight during the 2026 reauthorization, including offering an amendment aimed at tighter court-approval rules to reduce abuse. But the evidence only shows that the underlying reauthorization passed in the same term, not that his specific oversight safeguards were fully enacted, so this is best treated as partial credit rather than full delivery.
The evidence shows Himes actively worked on Section 702 reauthorization oversight during the same term: he publicly committed to rigorous oversight, was credited with pushing reforms, and offered a concrete amendment to require court approval for certain FBI queries involving U.S. persons and organizations. Section 702 was in fact reauthorized in the same term, but the record provided does not show that Himes fully achieved the promised result of ensuring oversight sufficient to prevent abuse by the administration, nor that his specific anti-abuse safeguards were enacted as promised. Because he made a serious and material effort tied directly to the promise but the evidence only demonstrates partial realization of the promised safeguards, the best judgment is partial rather than delivered.
Himes acted in the relevant federal office context during the same term: as ranking member he was credited in the House record with pushing Section 702 reforms and offered an amendment requiring DOJ court approval for certain FBI U.S.-person-related queries. Section 702 reauthorization itself was enacted, but the evidence shows Himes materially pursued oversight and anti-abuse safeguards rather than proving that his specific reforms were adopted or that abuse was actually prevented. This supports partial fulfillment with clear effort credit, not full delivery.