Intelligence Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2010

Floor Speech

Intelligence Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2010

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This is a very unfortunate bill, and I think this side of the aisle has sufficiently laid out abundant reasons why it should be sent to the committee and fixed. The intelligence community is too important to our national security to allow a bill with as many concerns as this one to pass.

However, I am here also to discuss what I see as a fatal flaw in the way information is disseminated to Members of the House who are not committee members.

Nothing is more critical to the role each of us plays in representing our districts and this country than for us to have every relevant piece of information available to us prior to casting an important vote--certainly prior to casting a vote on one updating the authorizations for the way our government gathers intelligence. Yet many Members of this House have been denied access to key pieces of information simply by virtue of the fact that they do not sit on the Intelligence Committee.

I recognize that membership on any given committee in this Chamber means that one is given access to matters in a special capacity. I respect that. I would even say that dividing up responsibilities is critical in achieving everything in a body as large as this one, but not being a member of the committee should not translate into having access to nothing that falls under the jurisdiction of this committee. Certainly, there are some pieces of information that are so important, of such importance to national security, that every Member of this body, should they so desire, should have access.

Last summer, the story broke about photographs alleging detainee abuse at Guantanamo.

I formally requested, through the Intelligence Committee, access to these photos. I assumed it would be a simple request. In 2005, similar photos at Abu Ghraib were made readily available to every Member of this House by the same committee under the leadership of then-Chairman Hoekstra.

This time, after months of no response, I was informed that the committee did not retain the photos and could not or would not allow nonmembers of the Intelligence Committee access. At the same time as my request to view these photos, I requested to review the classified CIA Inspector General report titled ``Counter terrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities.''

After months, I was denied my request, no reason given for the denial. I can hardly believe that on an issue as critical and crucial as this I would not be allowed access. I believe strongly that for me to vote on something as important as the Intelligence Authorization Act I should have access to every bit of information.

Finally, on the shooting at Fort Hood, I asked to have attendance at the briefing that was being given. But because a business meeting had to occur before I would be granted permission and none was scheduled, I simply could not attend.

Madam Chair, this bill has problems on many, many levels, but it is impossible for me to vote in the affirmative given the restrictions on activities of members of the minority from this committee.

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