Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I want to compliment him on all his hard work in bringing the bill to this point after a long, tough challenge for many years.

I rise in strong support, Madam Speaker, of H.R. 2701, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

This long overdue bill is the work of a committee that has been diligently pursuing, for years, our national security. H.R. 2701 addresses many vital areas and contains critical provisions that will assist us in combating the ever-evolving and emerging threats that our Nation faces, such as those emanating from the FATA in Pakistan, Yemen, the Horn of Africa, and Somalia.

In this bill, we've sought to provide the necessary guidance and authorities for the critical intelligence and intelligence-related activities of our U.S. military and civilian personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, and provide important support to address emerging issues in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere.

I'm proud to say this bill also goes a long way toward bringing increased fiscal responsibility to the intelligence community. By reducing the cost overruns on our major systems acquisitions, the acquisitions provision of this bill will free up money to devote to our military and civilians combating threats and preserving our national security in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere.

This is a strong piece of legislation. It will make our country safer. I urge my colleagues to pass the bill and let us have an intelligence authorization act this Congress while we have so many men and women in uniform and out of uniform fighting for our safety and security.

I thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for your perseverance on this.

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