C. Ruppersberger

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 425, I was unavoidably detained due to my responsibilities as the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this statement is to highlight my support of House Resolution 657 which passed by unanimous consent on July 11, 2014. Had I been able to, I would have cosponsored this resolution. I firmly support Israel's right to defend itself against the unprovoked rocket attacks from the Hamas terrorist organization. I condemn these attacks on our Israeli friends and call on Hamas to immediately cease all rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. Israel remains a vital ally of the United States in the Middle East, and it is in the best interest of both countries to maintain our cooperation and support.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Ms. Speaker, I submit the following poem by Albert Carey Caswell. Brooks Robbing Some, the Man With the Golden Heart and Glove On fields of green, there is but one position seen! Where, there's such hell to pay! Because, third base is such the place . . . Where only those of courage play! That hot corner, where on any pitch you're a goner . . . As lasers come screaming at you every day! Where with each and every pitch, this could be it. ``D'' Day! Because it's just the place, where instincts and quickness and speed come into play! Where, those faint of heart, do not so wish to take stay! And it takes a special man, to command the courage to play! With but only micro seconds to so react in time, to stay intact and steal the game away! Who said that crime does not pay? Because in Baseball, for stealing big bucks you will get paid! And that's something that Brooks has done both night and day!

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I first want to thank the gentleman from Michigan, Chairman Rogers, for his leadership. Once again, he has produced a bipartisan and bicameral Intelligence Authorization Act that we are taking up today. I know he is retiring. He has served his country well as an FBI agent and on the Intelligence Committee, and now as chairman. We are going to miss him. But I know that whatever he does, he will always think of the United States of America first. So I thank the gentleman for his leadership and his friendship. I also want to acknowledge the members of our committee, both Democrat and Republican, and our staff who have come together as a team in a bipartisan way to do what is right for our country. Now, this Chamber passed its fiscal year 2014 and 2015 Intelligence Authorization Act less than a month ago, with over 300 votes in favor. Today we are taking up just the Senate's fiscal year 2014 bill, which the Senate recently passed by unanimous consent. I hope the House passes this bill and sends it to the President's desk today. We need these annual intelligence authorization acts to ensure the most rigorous oversight and accountability over all U.S. intelligence agencies and over all U.S. intelligence activities. We must ensure that our intelligence agencies spend money only on programs of which Congress is informed and approves. This bill does that. We also need these annual intelligence authorizations to set the priorities for our intelligence professionals and their agencies and to allocate resources to critical national security programs, including those that detect, prevent, and disrupt potential terrorist attacks. This bill does that, also. And we need the intelligence authorization acts to promote fiscal discipline. This bill makes cuts to certain areas and adds money in other in a responsible, well thought-out, and fiscally prudent way. The result is a budget below the President's request. In fact, since Chairman Rogers and I assumed leadership of the Intelligence Committee, we have reduced the Intelligence Committee's budget by 20 percent, without reducing capability. I am pleased to see the Senate is going along with us. I do want to acknowledge, also, Senators Feinstein and Chambliss for working together with us in a partnership to do what is right for our country and our national security. The unclassified legislative text in this Senate bill is very similar to what this Chamber debated last month. It makes substantial improvements to the security clearance process. It requires detailed reports on matters such as electronic waste and chemical weapons in Syria. And it promotes education in science, technology, engineering, and math. The Senate also added three substantive provisions, all of which greatly promote transparency, oversight, and accountability. First, the bill creates independent, Senate-confirmed NSA and National Reconnaissance Office directors, as well as independent, Senate-confirmed NSA and NRO inspectors general. Second, the bill requires the Attorney General to establish a process for the regular review for publication of Department of Justice legal opinions provided to the intelligence community. It also requires that any classified opinions that can't be published be made available to the appropriate committees or Members of Congress. Third, it amends the National Security Act to prohibit any personnel actions against a lawful intelligence community whistleblower. As for the classified schedule of authorizations, it is identical, except for some minor, prorated adjustments. We encouraged all Members to review the classified schedule of authorizations, as well as the classified text, and I am pleased that so many have come down to the Intelligence Committee's classified spaces to do so. We have spent a long time poring over every aspect of this bill--in our committee spaces, at the agencies, with the Senate, and in the remotest corners of the Earth, where our intelligence professionals operate--and I can say this is a very good bill, which I am proud to support. For the sake of keeping the country and its allies safe, for the sake of vigorously overseeing even the most classified intelligence programs, and for the sake of our intelligence professionals who work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, often in harm's way, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and send it to the President today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Alabama, Terri Sewell, who is a very good member of our committee. I just want to say that Ms. Sewell is a new member of the Intelligence Committee, and through her dedication, intellect, and willingness to travel, she is quickly becoming a highly influential member on our committee. She also keeps her focus on the people, both the American people as a whole, and the intelligence professionals who work every day to keep us safe.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, to ensure the most rigorous oversight and accountability over all U.S. intelligence agencies and all U.S. intelligence activities, I urge my colleagues to vote for this important bill. I also urge my colleagues to support this bill for the sake of all of us, not just in America, but around the world, who benefit from the work of our intelligence community in the United States. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, so that our dedicated intelligence professionals who work worldwide--often in harm's way--can keep us safe and our allies safe. They are truly the best in the world. We can disagree about policy, but we should never disagree about the professionalism, bravery, and devotion to the rule of law that are the hallmarks of our intelligence professionals. Finally, once again, let me just thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership for these past years. I also want to sincerely thank every member of the Intelligence Committee. I want to thank Congresswoman Terri Sewell for being here tonight and for being involved in this bill. You were a big part of our success. We debate, and we argue, but we always negotiate, and we always keep in our minds what is most important: the security, privacy, and civil liberties of the American people. Together with the Senate--and I thank Senators Feinstein and Chambliss again--we have produced for the House to consider today a truly strong bill, which I am proud to support. I urge all my colleagues to support it as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment. The USA FREEDOM Act that reformed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was the product of nearly a year of carefully considered negotiation and debate. It passed the House last month with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 303 votes, but now, we have an amendment to an appropriations bill that makes major legislative changes to FISA with only 10 minutes of debate, and it makes our country less safe. It would prohibit the urgent search of lawfully-collected information to thwart a bomb plot against a synagogue in Los Angeles, a church in Maryland, or the New York Stock Exchange. It has no emergency exceptions, and it basically says that what you can do to stop a criminal in this country, you can't do to stop a terrorist. That is wrong. We cannot allow this to happen. We will continue to work on FISA and our other national security laws to maximize privacy and civil liberties, especially for U.S. persons, but we must do so carefully and deliberately. We must make sure to also keep our country and our allies safe from terrorist attacks. Ultimately, while I applaud these Members for continuing to look for ways to reform our intelligence laws, we shouldn't be doing this on an appropriations bill with only 10 minutes of debate.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Chairman Rogers, I thank you for your comments. I also have the same comments for you. When we took the leadership of this committee, we knew that the stakes were so high and that we had to work together on behalf of the people of the United States of America. We came together with Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, moderates, all realizing that we had to come together. Because of your leadership, because of your focus, we have been able to pass FISA, and hopefully we will be able to pass these bills today. We are going to miss you, but you will always be there as my friend, and I will always respect you as a great American who cares about the United States. Thank you. Now, we need to pass this Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015 to ensure rigorous oversight and accountability over all U.S. intelligence agencies and all U.S. intelligence activities. This is so important. We cannot go back to the days when we give the intelligence agencies a blank check to spend as they see fit. We must have oversight. Remember, Congress specifically amended the National Security Act of 1947 to replace blanket intelligence appropriations with specific authorization. Why did we do this? To ensure that our intelligence agencies spend money only on programs of which Congress is informed and approves. So today we need to make sure we maintain this means of critical oversight by passing the bill. The Intelligence Authorization Act for 2014 and 2015 is in four parts: the unclassified legislative text; the unclassified report; the classified annex, which explains our intent for the classified aspects of the bill; and the classified schedule of authorizations for both fiscal years. We have been encouraging all Members to review all parts of the bill, and I am pleased to say that they have come to the Intelligence Committee's SCIF, classified spaces, to do so. The budget for fiscal year 2014 is slightly below the President's budget request, while the budget for fiscal year 2015 is less than 1 percent above the President's budget request. We both, we made cuts to certain areas and added money in other areas in a responsible, well thought-out way, and a fiscally prudent way. Since Chairman Rogers and I assumed leadership of the committee, we reduced the Intelligence Committee's budget by 20 percent, but this year's bill acknowledges the need to right the ship after the storm of sequestration. The bill sets the priorities of our intelligence professionals and their agencies, and it allocates resources to critical national security programs, including those that detect, prevent, and disrupt potential terrorist attacks. Let me also mention some specifics. The bill continues to emphasize the value of our satellites; scales back the intelligence community's use of contractors; pushes for further improvements in the continuous evaluation of insider threats; provides critical forward-looking funding for Navy airborne intelligence surveillance reconnaissance to maintain military intelligence capabilities during the transition to newer, more capable aircraft; and invests in both the recruitment and retention of the best and the brightest for our cyber workforce, particularly within the FBI. Our younger generation, we must educate them and have them work in this area. We have spent months poring over this bill and its specific authorizations in great detail--in our committee spaces, at the agencies, and in the remotest corners of the Earth where our intelligence professionals operate--and then I can say this is a very good bill, and I am proud to support it. Many of the amendments on the floor today also promise to make a great bill even better. For the sake of keeping the country and its allies safe, and for the sake of rigorously overseeing even the most classified intelligence programs, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill today. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois, Jan Schakowsky, my good friend and a member of our committee, who has been very thoughtful and has allowed us to do the things that we needed to do.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California, Mr. Adam Schiff, a valued member of our Intelligence Committee, who has worked closely with me and our committee on very important issues.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly), a great Member of Congress.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee, a great Member of Congress.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont, Mr. Peter Welch, my good friend and a great Member of Congress.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for his diligent work in the area of transparency on behalf of the American people. As we have seen in this last year, trust in the intelligence community by the citizens it serves is incredibly important. As the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, we take seriously the responsibility to provide to the public as much information as possible while protecting sensitive sources and methods. When classification permits, the budget of the intelligence community has been released. In other cases, the American people rely on our committee and on all of their Representatives, like Representative Welch, to review the budget of the intelligence community on their behalf. I look forward to working with Representative Welch to continue to find ways to increase the trust of the American people in the intelligence community as it relates to transparency. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. For the sake of rigorous oversight and accountability over all U.S. intelligence agencies and all U.S. intelligence activities, I urge my colleagues to vote for this important, bipartisan bill. I also urge my colleagues to support this bill for the sake of our brave intelligence professionals, who, like our military, work day and night, often in the most austere of places, to keep us safe and our allies safe; and for the sake of all of us--not just in America, but around the world--who benefit from the work of our intelligence agencies, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. It is a solid bill that we should be proud to support. Finally, once again, Mr. Chairman, let me thank you for your leadership, our relationship, and your commitment to the people of the United States of America. You served in the military, and you served in the FBI. We are going to miss you. Thank you also to every member on the Intelligence Committee. We have had many debates, many hard negotiations, and many tough struggles, but at all times, whether or not one member or another agreed or disagreed, we respected the fact that another member had another point of view, and then we resolved those issues. Each of us has worked even harder to find common ground on behalf of the American people to protect us from terrorist attacks and other issues that are out there that relate to national security. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I support all these amendments. I agree with Chairman Rogers that it is very troubling when senior U.S. officials who know our most sensitive secrets leave the Federal Government and immediately go to work for a company that is owned by a foreign country that poses a significant counterintelligence threat to us. I do have some concerns that this restriction might be seen as singling out our intelligence professionals, since it does not apply to every senior official in the government with a top secret clearance. I would be in favor of a waiver procedure for when the risks are low. For example, for someone who wants to teach English at a State-funded university in his or her retirement. But on the whole, I agree with Mr. Rogers and support this provision. I also agree with Mr. Connolly and Mr. Kilmer that we need to find efficiencies in the intelligence community's use of software. In fact, we just don't need to find them, we need to fix them. Finding and fixing inefficiencies translates into saving taxpayer dollars, which is something we must always strive to do. I agree with Ms. Robin Kelly that we need to increase the diversity of our intelligence workforce by adding predominantly black institutions to ongoing intelligence community programs currently designed for Historically Black Colleges. Diversity is a good thing in its own right, and it will create even greater opportunities for intelligence collection. I agree with Mr. Carney that we must reduce our declassification backlog. As The New York Times reported just this week, even material that should be automatically declassified isn't. So we need the Director of National Intelligence to look across the intelligence community and figure out how to improve the declassification process so that more national security information can be made available to the American people now. I also agree with Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee that we need to get a handle on how we are employing our contractors. We need to know whether they are doing the type of work that should be done by U.S. Government employees. Let me be clear, however, that contractors perform a very valuable service, and our companies are among the very best in the world. But there needs to be a clear line between what we expect from our employees, who owe 100 percent of their loyalty to the government, and what we expect from our contractors, whose patriotism is without question, but whose loyalty is also to the company that employs them. Finally, I agree with Mr. Keating, Mr. Rooney, and Mr. Hanna that we need to take a close look at the memoranda of agreement between the Federal Government and the State, local, tribal, and territorial governments to make sure they are written clearly enough and well enough to ensure the free flow of intelligence, while still making sure to protect sources and methods. Intelligence is critical, particularly in the midst of a domestic crisis. And for it to be useful, it must get to those who need it. In addition to the manager's amendment, which makes technical and clarifying changes to the bill, I support all these amendments. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

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

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Franks, a leader in the bipartisan House Electromagnetic Pulse Caucus, has brought attention to the serious threats posed by electromagnetic pulses, whether from a solar storm or a nuclear-armed enemy that could harm our critical infrastructure. Given what we know about our Nation's critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, I support this amendment's purpose, to gain even more information that can better protect our utilities, financial systems, medical facilities, networks, and other infrastructure. Therefore, I support this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), one of the key members of our committee and one of the experts in the area of cybersecurity. (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

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

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I support this amendment because the time is right to step back and take stock of where we are and how we are doing in our fight against terrorism. The threat is not going away, but it is rapidly changing. The Director of the FBI, Jim Comey, recently said that the terrorism threat is very much alive and growing in new and more dangerous places around the world. It even surprised him, when he started, just how virulent and dispersed the terrorist threat had become. From Pakistan to Yemen, Afghanistan to Syria, north Africa to Iraq, the threat from al Qaeda is waning in some areas, but growing in others. Unless we approach this dangerous problem holistically and precisely, we risk just squeezing the balloon, suppressing terrorism in one area, only to see it grow in another. So I think it is a good idea to sit down and take a comprehensive look at the problem today, to make sure that we are confronting it in the precisely right way, to make sure that we are measuring our effectiveness correctly, and to make sure that we have the right and most current legal authorities. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.