Silvestre Reyes

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Madam Chair, I now would like to yield 2 minutes to our friend and colleague from California, the gentlelady, Ms. Sanchez.

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I just wanted to assure my friend and colleague from Arizona that, being sensitive to the issues that he mentioned about one of our former colleagues that, regrettably, now sits in prison, the Intelligence Committee worked very closely with the Parliamentarians, the Committee on Standards and Official Conduct, and other committees of the House on earmark disclosures. I am at a loss as to who informed the gentleman that there would be no earmarks, but I think the gentleman now knows that the Government Printing Office made an error in omitting the earmarks and that is why the delay in putting them up on their Web site. Be that as it may, this committee followed the requirements of the House for each Member receiving an earmark to certify that neither he or she nor his or her spouse would benefit financially from any kind of action. We complied with all the requirements, all the rules, and all the regulations. As I said, we did this in a very transparent and bipartisan way because we did not want to leave any impressions that things were not done according to the rules that had been set out. Everything that we did with this process followed the rules and the process. Where the glitch came was where the printing was done. There was an error committed by the Government Printing Office, and that is why there was a delay in posting the earmarks. Again, I am at a loss as to who informed the gentleman that there were no earmarks, because it certainly wasn't anyone from the committee that I am aware of.

Mr. REYES. I would be glad to yield to the gentleman.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and good friend from Florida for yielding me time on this very important rule. I rise in support of this rule. The terrorist plot that was recently uncovered in New Jersey this past week shows that we cannot let our guard down in the effort to learn the plans and intentions of people who would do us grave harm. The underlying bill, H.R. 2082, provides funding for the brave women and men of our intelligence community. I have visited with them in every corner of the world, and I am constantly amazed by their patriotism, their dedication to mission, and their commitment to doing our Nation's most sensitive and dangerous business, often without public acknowledgement or recognition. Today, the United States faces a dynamic set of threats, challenges, and opportunities. We are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We face a growing terrorist threat. Countries like Iran and North Korea are working towards a nuclear bomb. And we face a number of other key challenges in Africa, Latin America, and from rising powers like Russia and China. These major challenges require a major effort by our government to collect, to analyze, and to disseminate intelligence, and to do so within the legal bounds of our Constitution and our national values. This bill invests in human intelligence. It invests in analysis and analysts. It funds key counterterrorism operations and sensitive collection programs. And it improves critical oversight in key areas such as the overuse of contractors and the lack of qualified linguists in the intelligence business. This bill was developed on a bipartisan basis. And although there may not be agreement on every single point, there is agreement on all the major points. This rule will allow a full debate on many of the key issues before us, and I, along with my colleagues, should welcome this debate. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule.

Mr. REYES. Reclaiming my time just to explain to you that our process in the committee is that you would be provided support from the Republican staff. If they misinformed the gentleman about the issue of earmarks, I don't know why they would do that because clearly staff on both sides knew that there were earmarks. I will continue to yield.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, it is my understanding that the gentleman was offered an opportunity to do that and rejected it.

Mr. REYES. Once again, Mr. Speaker, let me reassure my good friend and colleague from Arizona that the report, along with all the listing of earmarks, was filed appropriately, timely with the Rules Committee. Where the glitch occurred was in the printing. But be that as it may, I want to tell you again, reassure you, that we did not handle the process in the Intelligence Committee any different than any other committee in the House, and I would hope the gentleman would understand that.

Mr. REYES. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. REYES

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chair, I just want to thank the gentlelady for offering this amendment and offer my support. I think it is an important amendment.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this motion to recommit because it would cut a program that makes valuable contributions to the war on drugs and to homeland security, first and foremost. This motion is also misleading because the underlying bill provides our intelligence officers everything they need. It adds funds to the CIA and Defense Department for human intelligence training so that our operators can be more effective. It invests in language training for case officers so they can operate effectively overseas. My colleague talks about following the rules. One of the premier rules that we have is we never mention a number in classified programs; $23 million telegraphs our enemies what we are doing. The motion to recommit asks for a study. This program has been studied before. I just want to quote the White House drug czar. When the White House drug czar toured the NDIC in 2003, he said: ``The National Drug Intelligence Center provides us with vital information we need to disrupt the market for illegal drugs in America.'' Also, a White House press release asserted that the drug czar's office uses NDIC-produced intelligence to help guide its ongoing counterdrug policy agenda as outlined in the President's national drug control strategy. NDIC information bulletins every day warn law enforcement officers around our country and intelligence agencies around the world of emerging threats in drug trafficking and trends in use. But the motion to recommit would silence this added and vital voice, a voice that the minority was more than happy to fund when they were in charge of this body. The Republican-led Congress appropriated more than $160 million for NDIC over the past 4 years. It funded the National Drug Intelligence Center with $39 million in fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007, and more than $44 million in 2004. If it was such a good idea then, if it was such a good idea back when you were in charge, why in the heck is it such a bad idea now when we see the trends we are seeing around the country? Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to defeat this motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. REYES. I thank my good friend and colleague. And reclaiming my time, again, we want to accomplish the same goal. We just have a difference of opinion on how we are going to do it. But it will get done, and it will get done by this committee this year. So, again, I have deep respect and admiration for both my colleagues.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), a member of our committee. (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to a former ranking member of this committee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Chair, I am very proud of this bill, and I am proud of the work we all put into it. I realize there are some political differences. You have heard the minority go from characterizing bugs and bunnies. Well, I think bogeyman politics doesn't work with the American people. It doesn't work with the challenge that we are facing in Iraq, and it is not going to fly with what we are doing with this intelligence bill. This bill does not make cuts. It adds funds to both CIA and military elements for human intelligence training. It adds funding for sending additional analysts overseas. Yes, I agree with the former ranking member, we should be concerned about al Qaeda. The ranking member mentioned the potential attacks against Fort Dix last week. So this is serious business. We know it is. This is an important piece of legislation that I hope everyone knows it is imperative that they support. The men and women of the Intelligence Community don't care about mischaracterizations. They don't care about talking about slam dunking and bugs and bunnies and all of these other rhetorical phrases that the minority likes to engage in. They care about support from Congress. This bill gives the Intelligence Community the support that they need. All you have to do is travel around the world and listen to them. I am proud of this legislation. By strengthening our Nation's Intelligence Community, we will be able to detect and disrupt the plans of those that are threatening our national security. I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, sometimes I feel like we are living in a parallel universe here, when I hear the Members of the minority quote the ``slam-dunk expert.'' Madam Chairman, it is my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), a member of our committee who serves as the chairman of the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, so we move from a parallel universe to the Twilight Zone. Madam Chairman, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a member of our committee.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chair, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to a gentleman from Iowa, an American hero, fellow Vietnam veteran (Mr. Boswell), a member of the committee. (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. REYES. Madam Chair, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Cramer), one of our subcommittee Chairs.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, I would remind the gentlewoman that we will be having hearings and addressing the issue of FISA in regular order, which is the proper way to handle very serious issues that the American people want us to handle. Madam Chairman, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Anna Eshoo, who chairs our Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger), who serves as our chairman on the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence.

Mr. REYES. Madam Chairman, it is my privilege to yield to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), 3 minutes.