For Immediate Release Contact:
May 30, 2014 Susan.Phalen@mail.house.gov (Rogers)
Allison.Getty@mail.house.gov (Ruppersberger)
The House of Representatives today passed the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015, H.R. 4681, by a strong bipartisan vote of 345-59. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger praised the bill’s passage.
The Intelligence Authorization Act is the annual blueprint for the work of the Intelligence Community and America’s military intelligence efforts. The bill sets the priorities for critical intelligence efforts and provides the legal framework for oversight of those efforts. This is the fourth intelligence authorization bill the House has passed in a bipartisan manner since Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger assumed leadership of the Intelligence Committee. Passing a yearly intelligence authorization bill is the primary method by which Congress conducts oversight of the Intelligence Community.
Through extensive bipartisan cooperation, the House Intelligence Committee produced a bill for FY14 that is slightly below the President’s budget request. The FY 15 levels are slightly above the President’s budget request, by less than one percent and conform to the Bipartisan Budget Act and enacted appropriations funding caps. The Committee’s modest increase reflects the Committee’s concern that a number of initiatives were not properly funded.
Some highlights of H.R. 4681 include:
• Improvements in the continuous evaluation for insider threats, and for the expansion of insider threat programs government wide,
• Policy directive and funding on sensitive intelligence operations,
• Enhanced funding for Navy airborne Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance programs capabilities during the transition to newer, more capable aircraft; and
• Funds to recruit and retain the best and brightest for our cyber workforce
Chairman Mike Rogers said, “We rely on our intelligence agencies to provide us with the best and most timely information possible on a vast array of threats from all over the world. We ask them to track terrorists wherever they train, plan and fundraise. We have asked them to stop devastating cyber attacks that steal American jobs. We ask them to track nuclear and missile threats. And we demand they get it all right – every time. This bill ensures the dedicated men and women of the Intelligence Community, who volunteer to serve in some of the most difficult and hostile places on earth, have the resources and authorities necessary to keep our nation and people safe.”
Ranking Member Ruppersberger said: “As part of our House Intelligence Committee’s oversight responsibilities, we are committed to passing an annual budget for our Intelligence Community. Today’s bipartisan Intelligence Authorization Act ensures that those who protect America’s national security have the resources they need to continue this critical effort. Our 345-vote passage shows that we, as a Congress, are committed to providing our agencies with the necessary funding to achieve these goals.”
