The powers lapsed briefly once before — in 2015 — because of a similar stall in the Senate. Any existing court orders for business records and special types of wiretaps, for example, will still be valid during the lull. can most likely use other authorities, like grand jury subpoenas, from its criminal investigative toolbox as a workaround. None of the expiring tools were involved in the Page applications. But the legislation to extend them has become a vehicle for Congress to respond to the inspector general’s findings.

Source: New York Times March 12, 2020 17:13 UTC