The World Cup is here, and America’s 250th birthday is just weeks away. Iowa families are already making plans: tickets to a match, a road trip, or a spot on the blanket for the backyard fireworks.
The problem: That also makes the next few weeks one of the largest mass-event security windows in our nation’s history — and just a few days ago, our best tool for spotting a foreign threat before it reaches a crowd went dark.
Back up: Since 2008, our American intelligence professionals have used a legal authority, FISA Section 702, to track foreign terrorists and spies operating overseas. This is the first time this critical national security tool has ever lapsed.
As a 20-year intelligence officer, here’s what that actually means: ⬇️
The worst part: Members of Congress had the chance to extend it, voted no, and then hopped on planes, trains, and into cars — some of them headed overseas.
Why it matters: It’s our basic responsibility to make sure the thousands of Iowans, and the hundreds of thousands of visitors traveling to Washington for the Fourth of July or to one of the eleven cities for the World Cup, feel safe in our country. No one in America should wonder whether Congress left the door unlocked for our adversaries.
Bottom Line: You should be able to take your family to a ballgame or watch the Fourth of July fireworks without a second thought about their safety. That’s worth protecting — and I won’t stop until this tool is back online.