Date: 2015-12-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and Ranking member of the Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Crime. Terrorism. Homeland Security. and Investigations. I rise in support of H.R. 4127. the "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016." for several reasons. With bipartisan legislative changes negotiated and incorporated. H.R. 4127. is an improved and acceptable bill that will provide critical funding for our nations 16 intelligence agencies. While this measure is not perfect. H.R. 4127 corrects many of the provisions that were objectionable by providing a more balanced and realistic budget for our Intelligence Community. The revised Intelligence Authorization Act makes cuts to less effective programs. adds money to underfunded ones. and requires intelligence agencies to keep Congress abreast of their activities to ensure responsible and lawful spending practices. More specifically. I am pleased that this bill will: provide critical resources for the fight against ISIL. emphasize collection to monitor and ensure compliance with the Iranian nuclear agreement. provide the necessary means to counter threats from nationstate actors. particularly in cyberspace. space and the undersea environment. and furthermore helps to shore up our counterproliferation and counterintelligence capabilities. support our overhead architecture through the funding of critical space programs. invests in space protection and resiliency. preserves investments in cuttingedge technologies. and enhances the oversight of contracting and procurement practices. promotes foreign partner capabilities. and enhance human intelligence capabilities and oversight throughout CIAs reorganization process. H.R. 4127 will provide funding that is 7% above last years enacted budget level. and only 1% less than President Obamas budget request. Importantly. this version of the bill corrects the overreliance on shortterm Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding to evade Budget Control Act caps. which proved problematic in the earlier version. I applaud my colleagues for working together to reach agreement on a fair and balanced budget framework that does not harm our economy or require draconian cuts. Additionally of concern in the prior measure. to the extent intelligence funds might be used in an effort to shutter the Guantanamo facility. the Guantanamorelated language in the current version will merely subject those funds to restrictions identical to those imposed by the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. recently passed and signed into law by the President. Lastly. while a provision of H.R. 4127 still curtails the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Boards (PCLOB) ability to access information regarding covert action. it does not alter the PCLOBs broader jurisdiction or mission to provide independent oversight and to ensure that the U.S. appropriately protects privacy and civil liberties in its counter terrorism programs. With respect to covert actions. the language of H.R. 4127 has been reworded to emphasize that such actions are subject to presidential approval and reporting to Congress pursuant to existing law. The balance between liberty and security must be respected to preserve our way of life and the values that countless generations have fought to preserve. This includes taking precautionary measures to ensure that lives are safe from eminent danger and terrorist threats both domestically and abroad. On balance. Mr. Speaker. H.R. 4127 contains more salutary than objectionable provisions. and for that reason I support this bill.