C. Ruppersberger

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the Congressman from Ohio, Dennis Kucinich.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I do want to acknowledge the work that has been done by Dennis Kucinich as a Member of Congress. Dennis and I don't always philosophically agree, but I respect that he has a good point of view. That's the whole process here in Congress--that we have different points of view, that we come together, that we debate, and that we can make decisions. So, Dennis, we are going to miss you. Good luck to you and your family in the future, and I'm glad that one of the last things you're going to do is come here and talk about our bill today. In just acknowledging what the chairman said, there is an aggressive legal process that is undertaken as far as drones are concerned that goes to the highest levels of our government before strikes are taken. In everything that I have reviewed, if there are children or innocent victims there, the strike does not take place. So there is a process. Unfortunately, there are some casualties--very minor. I would also agree with the chairman as far as this is concerned: in that what you read in the media is usually not what the facts are. It is part of what we do. Why do we have the Intelligence Committee? We have it because there is classified information that if it got out would hurt the national security of our country. It's part of our role and our committee's role to take this classified information and work with the agencies to which we provide oversight so we will continue to work through that process. Mr. Kucinich, I'm glad that you did raise that as an issue, as we all should. Madam Speaker, for the third time in 3 years, Chairman Rogers and I have stood on the floor of the House encouraging our colleagues to support our intelligence budget bill. Today, we both rise in support of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. The bill gives our intelligence professionals the resources, capabilities, and authorities they need to protect America and American interests. We crafted a bill that addresses our core needs, including space, cybersecurity, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism. We are also keeping an eye on the bottom line. The bill is slightly below last year's budget and holds personnel at last year's levels. In a very strong bipartisan way, the Intelligence Committee came together as Democrats and Republicans to do what is right for our country and for the intelligence community. I thank the staff again for what it has done, and I thank the chairman for his leadership in helping to provide this bill in a very fair, bipartisan way. I would also like to acknowledge two Democratic Members who will be leaving us at the end of this session--Congressman Dan Boren of Oklahoma and Congressman Ben Chandler of Kentucky. Both Members will be greatly missed, and I appreciate their service on the Intelligence Committee. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2013, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Before us today is the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013. It's a good, bipartisan bill that gives our intelligence professionals the resources, capabilities, and authorities they need to keep us safe. And I also want to acknowledge the leadership of Chairman Rogers. His bipartisan leadership has helped us make the Intelligence Committee a committee that provides oversight to our intelligence agencies and gives them the resources that they need to protect our country. I also want to acknowledge the staff on both sides of the aisle who worked very closely to put this bill together. When Chairman Rogers and I took over leadership of the Intelligence Committee, we made a commitment to bipartisanship. We believe politics has no place in national security. The stakes are just too high. We also made a commitment to passing intelligence budgets that provide oversight to the intelligence community and give it important financial direction. Chairman Rogers and I also work closely with Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and vice chair Saxby Chambliss of the Senate Intelligence Committee, our counterparts in the Senate, so we can get things done. If this bill becomes law, it will be the third budget bill in a row passed since we took over leadership in January, 2011--a big change from the previous 6 years when we only passed one budget bill. This was an open, bipartisan process where we reached agreement on issues that will make this country safer and intelligence processes more efficient. We know we are facing tough economic times. This budget is slightly below the enacted levels of FY 2012. We made cuts where appropriate, eliminated redundancies, and pushed programs to come in on time and on budget. People ask me what keeps me up at night. Besides spicy food, I say weapons of mass destruction and a catastrophic cyberattack that shuts down our banking system, water supply, power grids or worse. This bill continues a substantial investment in cybersecurity that must be made to keep up with the cyberthreats of today and tomorrow. We also believe we must protect privacy and civil liberties when it comes to cybersecurity. Another priority is space. The bill promotes the commercial space industry by enhancing the government use of commercial imagery and commercial communications services. It requires the government to use commercial imagery to the maximum extent practicable. I believe competition is important to ensure we get high quality products while keeping costs down. It drives innovation and provides a much-needed insurance policy in case there are problems with other programs. And it does create jobs. The bill expanded our counterterrorism efforts to continue the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates around the world. The bill also makes counterintelligence the priority it is. It makes strategic additions across the intelligence community. This will pay for surveillance, better supply chain security, and the counterintelligence analysts we need. The bill added resources to the intelligence community's global coverage initiatives to ensure the United States is capable and ready to address threats from any location around the world, especially in areas of strategic interest. It authorizes the Department of Defense's new defense clandestine service to reorganize its human intelligence collection. It will be a part of the CIA's national clandestine service. The bill directed the Director of national intelligence to develop a centralized cloud for the entire intelligence community; advancing collaboration and further promoting efficiency; and it required the President to develop a strategy for security clearance, reciprocity, and a report on how to better protect our information technology across the global supply chain. I urge my colleagues to support the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2012. When this bill was before the House in May, it passed by a bipartisan margin of 386-28. It's a good bipartisan bill that gives our intelligence professionals what they need to do their jobs and protect our Nation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following. A Work of Art (By Albert Carey Caswell)

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in favor of the FISA Amendments Act, which is due to expire at the end of this year. When Chairman Rogers and I took over the leadership of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, we made a commitment to work together to ensure the intelligence community has the authorities it needs to effectively protect our country while also protecting the privacy of Americans. I believe we must reauthorize this critical piece of legislation to keep America and her citizens safe. The FISA Amendments Act allows the government to gain important intelligence about terrorists, cyberthreats, weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear weapons that threaten Americans and U.S. interests. There is a misconception out there that this act permits the surveillance of Americans without a court order. The bill prohibits the targeting of American citizens without a court order, no matter where they're located in the world. The FISA Amendments Act gives the U.S. Government the authority to collect intelligence information about foreigners located outside of the United States. The FISA Amendments Act is subject to aggressive oversight by Congress and the executive branch. There was an issue in the hearing before the Judiciary Committee about the issue of oversight. In this Congress alone, the House Intelligence Committee has held multiple hearings, briefings, and more than a dozen meetings concerning FISA. In addition, every 60 days the Department of Justice and the Director of National Intelligence conduct detailed onsite reviews to ensure compliance with the provisions of the act. This is a bipartisan bill that passed out of the House Intelligence Committee by a unanimous vote of 17-0. I understand some Democrats would like a 3-year extension of the FISA Amendments Act, some Republicans requested a 9-year extension. The administration asked for a 5-year extension to take Presidential-year politics out of the process while providing consistency to the intelligence community. I support the President's request for a 5-year extension. Without reauthorization, this critical tool would be lost, putting our Nation at severe risk. We would not be able to obtain the foreign intelligence necessary to prevent terrorist plots and financial support. I believe the act is critical to protecting our Nation while protecting our Americans' constitutional rights and privacy. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, there's been talk about the FISA Amendments Act as a backdoor collection on Americans and does not sufficiently protect civil liberties. This is not the case. We are all Americans. We are Members of Congress. We care about our country. We care about our Constitution, and we care about our privacy and our civil liberties. Now, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 actually expands the protections of Americans' civil liberties and privacy interests. Before the FISA Amendments Act in 2008, which became law then, the government needed only the Attorney General's authorization to target an American. Because of the FISA Amendments Act, if the government allows for surveillance of an American, that American must be overseas and the government must have a FISA court order if they do target an American anywhere in the world. The civil liberties of Americans are better protected than before this act became law in 2008. Also, as far as oversight, and there have been allegations of not proper oversight. I understand the argument, and I don't disagree with the argument about sunsets. Sunsets are good because they hold us accountable. We can see if there are any abuses, and we can deal with them when we have sunsets. However, the Department of Justice and the Director of National Intelligence file semi-annual reports with Congress as it relates to the FISA Act. These reports include information about compliance, targeting, and minimization on collections involving the parties that we're focused on. The Intelligence Committee staff has conducted dozens of meetings about the authorities under the FISA amendments. These meetings have addressed compliance, procedures, authorities, and specific collection. On the Intelligence Committee, we review, investigate, and debate the FISA Amendments Act. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the intelligence community to ensure the law is being implemented in how it was intended. We, as Americans, need to know more about the threats that are out there. Our threats for cyberattacks are occurring as we speak right now. It's very dangerous. These attacks can affect our national security, our grid systems, our banking systems, our air traffic control systems. This bill, this amendment, is part of our protection in dealing with those major issues. I advise my colleague that I am ready to close, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield, again, myself such time as I might consume. The FISA Amendments Act is the result of decades of work to modify a law so we can adapt with changing technology and evolving national security threats. The bill demonstrates what Democrats and Republicans can do when we work together in a bipartisan way. It is uniquely important to put partisanship aside when America's national security is at stake. We all have the same goal of keeping America safe from terrorist threats, whether on land or sea, in the air or with cyberspace. We also believe strongly, and this is very important, in the Constitution and the protections granted by our Founding Fathers. The FISA Amendments Act is an important tool that has successfully prevented terrorist attacks on American soil. I know it is critical to our intelligence community. I commend everyone who participated in this effort, especially the bipartisan leadership of Chairman Rogers and the other members of the Intelligence Committee on both sides of the aisle. I support this straight reauthorization which President Obama, our Commander in Chief, has said is ``vital to protect our Nation.'' I will vote for the FISA Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chair, I rise to note a provision in H.R. 5972, the Transportation-HUD Appropriations legislation for FY2013 which appears to have been accepted with virtually no debate and contains even less merit. H.R. 5972 contains a provision redirecting funds from the Maglev Deployment Program to other programs. Section 154 reads-- SEC. 154. The unobligated balance of funds provided under sections 1101(a)(18) and 1307 of Public Law 109-59 shall be used for the elimination of hazards at railway highway crossings described in section 104(d)(2) of title 23, United States Code, to remain available until expended. In a statement in support of this amendment, the claim was made that these ``unobligated funds'' were somehow lying dormant on the projects they were intended to support. In my opinion, and weighing the available facts, that was not an accurate statement. While one may sympathize with the need for safe grade crossings, the United States already has a well funded program to meet these needs. The Maglev Deployment Program (MDP) was authorized for far different purposes--to promote leading-edge high speed rail/technologies. And as is the case with all major multistate undertakings, the planning processes that precede construction take time and coordination to complete. Under the Federal Railroad Administration's program for the MDP, a feasibility study must have been completed, followed by detailed environmental review--either a full-scale Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a phased approach, requiring a Tier 1 EIS followed by a Tier 2 EIS. Anyone who has observed the NEPA process knows that it sometimes proceeds in fits-and-starts. And even if it appears that at times not much is happening, these detailed planning phases sometimes take years to accomplish. The funds in question date to SAFETEA-LU, passed in 2005, and the SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections, passed in 2008. As the result of these two statutes, the Federal Railroad Administration issued a Notice of Funds Availability or NOFA, in 2008, inviting applications for a portion of these funds. Applications were due in early 2009. Several projects applied competitively, and the Administration deliberated carefully over the applications. Two projects which had applied were awarded funds; the Atlanta-Chattanooga and Pittsburgh projects. The FRA advised a third project applicant, a route from Baltimore to Washington, DC, that there was a deficiency in Maryland state law that prevented FRA from awarding funds. Far from standing still, my State of Maryland worked to cure that deficiency, and last year repealed the offending section of its state law, with the Governor's support. Since then, various stakeholders have been working with the Congress to ensure that SAFETEA-LU provisions were carried over in the Surface Transportation reauthorization legislation, which was passed by a bipartisan vote in the House after a conference with the Senate. Thus, I am pleased to report my understanding that the Maglev Program was preserved, and, in fact, maglev was specifically advanced in various sections of H.R. 4348, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or ``MAP-21''. We can understand from this congressional action that there remains broad support for the program, its promise for the future, and the need for our nation to pursue, not curtail, next generation high speed rail technology. The remaining projects, I am told, have been striving in good faith to complete their required planning phases. Indeed, one project has been working with the FRA to obligate its funds even as Congress voted to approve the MAP-21 conference report. Mr. Chair, the Congress as a whole authorized and funded the Maglev Deployment Program in 1998 and 2005 and 2008. My State of Maryland competed successfully to become one of the original seven maglev programs, and then on the basis of the merits of our Feasibility Study, one of two projects was down-selected for further work. We are pledged to continuing that work, and have acted in our state in the good-faith knowledge that those funds were secure. For that reason, I would like to urge the sponsors of the relevant language to look elsewhere for funds for their initiatives, and I stand ready to work with the leadership of the House and of the Committee to return the MDP funds to their historic purpose, to help build infrastructure and to promote economic revitalization.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Mr. Leonard Attman and Mrs. Phyllis Attman for their lifelong commitment to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. We recognize their generosity as the Board Room of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore is named in their honor. In Baltimore, the Attman name is synonymous with ``charity.'' Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Attman have worked hard to make a difference in the community through countless philanthropic efforts. In the past, they have made generous donations to support medical research, including groundbreaking studies on breast cancer and brain tumors. Their efforts have brought much-needed support to fields that are often overlooked or are in greater need of further understanding. In addition to serving as a board member at Sinai and Northwest Hospitals, Mr. Attman's involvement in professional, civic and philanthropic organizations includes membership on the boards of Shosana S. Cardin High School and Beth Tfiloh Brotherhood, as well as the Board ofDirectors of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and the Signal 13 Foundation for the Baltimore City Police Department. He actively participates in the activities of many other organizations including the Advisory Board for the Shock Trauma Unit at the University of Maryland Medical Systems. A longtime business leader, Mr. Attman has more than four decades of experience in residential and commercial real estate development. Mr. Attman was also the founder and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Future Care, which manages nine nursing home facilities serving more than 1,300 patients and providing employment to more than 1,500 workers. In all of their business endeavors, the Attmans have always focused on family first. Mr. Attman humbly considers his employees not as subordinates, but as ``coworkers.'' He has worked to do whatever possible to avoid layoffs during the unsteady economic times in recent years. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join with me today to honor Mr. Leonard and Mrs. Phyllis Attman. Their compassion and dedication to the Baltimore community and Sinai Hospital is an inspiration to us all. It is with great pride that I congratulate them on their exemplary service to their community and our country and wish them many more years of success.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the work and leadership of one of my colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Sue Myrick of North Carolina. Representative Myrick has decided to retire from Congress and this may well be her last official vote for the Intelligence Authorization Act of FY 2013. With her retirement, we lose a dedicated committee member. Representative Myrick's engagement on matters of homegrown terrorism and supply chain management and her leadership of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence will be sorely missed. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Myrick has consistently demonstrated a willingness to work collaboratively to ensure the intelligence community has the resources it needs while simultaneously securing the Constitutional rights of United States citizens. It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with her on the House Intelligence Committee. She has dutifully served both her local constituents and this Nation.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the work and leadership of one of my colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee Representative Dan Boren of Oklahoma. Representative Boren's support for educational matters and intelligence issues pertaining to the continent of Africa has been critical to the work of the committee. Representative Boren immediately began offering new and fresh ideas on intelligence, including suggesting the institution of a financial reward to incentivize efforts to capture Usama bin Laden. He personally worked to enhance the Boren Foreign Language Scholarship program initially established by his father, Senator David L. Boren. Representative Boren's assistance during the Intelligence Committee's drafting and passage of the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act was critical to our success. I always knew I could count on him for good counsel and support. While his retirement will create a vacancy on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence, his service has made our committee and country better. As members of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Boren has consistently demonstrated a willingness to work collaboratively to ensure the intelligence community has the resources it needs while simultaneously securing the constitutional rights of United States citizens. It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with him on the House Intelligence Committee. He has dutifully served both his local constituents and this nation.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of California (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. It is a bipartisan bill that gives our intelligence professionals the resources, capabilities, and the authorities they need to keep our country safe. When Chairman Rogers and I took over the leadership of the Intelligence Committee, we made a commitment to bipartisanship. We believe politics has no place on the Intelligence Committee. The stakes are just too high. We also made a commitment to passing intelligence budgets to give the intelligence community financial direction and to conduct proper oversight. I commend Chairman Rogers for making this an open process where we reached agreement on issues that will make this country safer and the intelligence process more efficient. But we also know we're facing tough economic times so we must use every dollar wisely. This budget is about 4 percent below the enacted levels for FY 2012. It holds personnel at last year's levels and authorizes an initiative to achieve major efficiencies and improve performance and information technology. We made cuts where appropriate, eliminated redundancies, and pushed programs to come in on time and on budget. The bill allocates resources to critical national security priorities: space, cybersecurity, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism. We restored some of the cuts to commercial satellite imagery to ensure the warfighter and policymakers have the images they need. I believe commercial competition is important to ensure the warfighter and other policymakers get high-quality products while keeping costs down. It drives innovation and provides a much-needed policy in case there are problems with other government problems. The bill reinforces cybersecurity by protecting the intelligence community's networks from countries like China and others trying to steal our valuable data. The bill also makes counterintelligence a priority by increasing surveillance of foreign spies from countries like China, Russia, and Iran. The bill improves supply-chain security and adds the counterintelligence analysts this Nation needs. The bill enhances counterterrorism efforts to continue the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates around the world. The bill increases oversight on the spending of domestic intelligence agencies. The bill also expands the intelligence community's capabilities around the global to ensure the United States is capable and ready to address the threats worldwide. The bill authorizes the Defense Clandestine Service created by the Department of Defense to reorganize its human intelligence collection and partner with the CIA's National Clandestine Service. The Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee remain committed to giving our intelligence professionals what they need to do their jobs while also providing proper oversight and protecting personal privacy. Provisions offered by the minority members were accepted as part of the chairman's mark and other amendments were adopted unanimously by the committee. Congresswoman Schakowsky introduced an amendment that protects the inspector general of an intelligence agency from across-the-board cuts to preserve their role as a watchdog of an organization. I commend Ms. Schakowsky for her good work on this bill. Congressman Thompson introduced an amendment to expand our efforts to prevent drug cultivation on Federal lands. I commend Mr. Thompson for his efforts on this bill as well. In fact, we wouldn't be here today without the hard work of all of the members of the Intelligence Committee. This is truly a bipartisan product. The bill passed through markup by a margin of 19 0, a true testament to the bipartisan spirit of the committee. I urge my colleagues to support the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2013. This bill ensures the Nation's intelligence community is effective, fiscally sound, and subject to appropriate oversight. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), whom I consider one of the foremost experts in the area of cybersecurity. Thank you for your work in that field, Mr. Langevin. (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my distinguished colleague from the State of Kentucky (Mr. Chandler).

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I and Mr. Rogers of Michigan rise to congratulate JC Richard P. Zahner, the 43rd Deputy Chief of Staff, G 2 (Intelligence) of the United States Army on his monumental and invaluable contributions to our national security from June 1976 until June 2012. Commissioned into the Regular Army as a Military Intelligence Officer from Cornell University in June 1976, Lieutenant General Zahner consistently distinguished himself in difficult jobs that required superior leadership and keen innovation. His distinguished 36 year military career included assignments in peace and war, at the tactical and national levels, in both conventional and Special Operations, and within the Army and at Joint and Combined Commands. A 1980 plank owner of the Joint Special Operations Command, he was a cornerstone in the foundation that created the culture of excellence and achievement that exists to this day. A dynamic force for innovation and technology balanced with a keen commitment to soldiers, he consistently challenged himself to be a change agent and transformation catalyst while integrating Army intelligence with wider Intelligence Community initiatives. He demonstrated unwavering resolve to build wartime readiness and provide brilliant and visionary Intelligence leadership. His success is manifested in Army Intelligence support throughout the globe. His legacy will remain with the Army and in the Intelligence Community for years to come. We wish him and his family Godspeed and good fortune as they complete their Army service and transition to the next successful chapter of their lives. Our nation is better and safer because of this superb Military Intelligence Soldier.