Votes for Republican-Improved FY '09 Intelligence Authorization Bill
Votes for Republican-Improved FY '09 Intelligence Authorization Bill
U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the top Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2009 Intelligence Authorization that included a number of Republican provisions to strengthen the bill. Passage of the bill continues a series of House Republican successes on intelligence measures this Congress, including signing of the recent terrorist surveillance reform law.
"This was a workable bill made stronger after the adoption of several Republican amendments in committee," Hoekstra said. "Congressional Republicans remain focused on increasing the speed and ability of America's intelligence agencies to stay ahead of foreign adversaries and terrorists. By cutting secret pork spending and limiting the intelligence bureaucracy, we are focusing national security efforts where they should bedetecting and preventing the next attack."
Intelligence committee Republicans won approval for seven amendments in committee before the bill made it to the House floor. Among the amendments, provisions to strip all pork-barrel spending, hold staff growth at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to 2008 levels, and a sense of Congress against the diversion of human intelligence resources to track al-Qaeda for studying global warming.
On the floor, Hoekstra sponsored an amendment that would prohibit the intelligence community from adopting speech codes that prevent accurately describing the radical jihadist terrorists that attacked America and continue to threaten the homeland. The amendment was adopted overwhelmingly by a bipartisan House majority 249-180, with 55 Democrats crossing over in support.
"Free speech should not be controversial, nor should candid, accurate and fair discussion of the self-professed goals of an enemy that attacked our homeland and has sworn to kill more Americans," Hoekstra said. "We have to ensure our analysts have the ability to speak accurate truth to power and describe the nature of the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the language that it uses."
Republicans also offered a motion requesting a National Intelligence Assessment on the strategic implications of high oil and energy prices for America. The motion, which would provide a high-level intelligence assessment on foreign adversaries and groups that benefit from high energy prices, stands in contrast to Democrat requests last year to divert intelligence resources for an intelligence assessment on the environment. Democrats voted against the motion.
"This is intelligence the American people actually can use," Hoekstra said. "The reality is our dependence on foreign oil and high energy prices are financing some of the national security threats against our nation. For the future of American security, we must focus on increasing domestic oil and energy production, conservation and developing alternative sources of power."
Hoekstra also responded to the Statement of Administration Policy.
"This bill is about ensuring the proper oversight of our nation's intelligence agencies and that the administration complies with the law requiring Congress be kept fully and currently informed. There may be concerns with the bill, but I am not sure they rise to the veto level unless the objection is to proper oversight."
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