Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I join the chairman in urging support for the combined 2018 and 2019 Intelligence Authorization Act, which has been named in honor of Matthew Young Pollard, a Senate Intelligence Committee staffer who recently passed away, leaving behind a young son and bereaved colleagues both in the Senate and here in the House.

For well over a year now, considerable attention has been focused on the House Intelligence Committee and the profound disagreements that we have had about the Russia investigation. Those differences remain, and the American people should know that my Democratic colleagues on the Intelligence Committee and I continue the important work of investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 Presidential election.

Despite our disagreements over Russia with the majority, however, I have consistently and publicly maintained that the committee must seek to cordon off our disagreements over the Russia investigation and continue with our other work on as bipartisan a basis as possible. We owe the tens of thousands of men and women in the intelligence community nothing less, not only because they put themselves at personal risk every day, but also because their work is so important to the country that it demands the shared responsibility and oversight of the Congress.

The Intelligence Committee has a history of producing bipartisan bills even under the most difficult political circumstances.

I am pleased that our staffs have worked to reach a mutually acceptable final text, and have been able to weed out provisions that would have made it impossible to move forward jointly.

Much of the committee's oversight work is reflected in the bill as classified, but we can discuss some of the 2018-2019 IAA's elements openly, including the fact that the bill helps to better ensure that our elections are free from interference or manipulation.

This is essential to our democracy, and the bill includes important provisions that continue the work that we have been doing in the committee during the course of the work on the Russia investigation, and as a part of our normal oversight to maintain the integrity of our election system.

The bill also provides funding to our intelligence community in order to meet all threats from terrorism to nation-state actors. The bill authorizes funding across a wide range of endeavors that will allow the intelligence community and the Department of Defense to not only respond to threats, but to preempt them.

The bill takes steps to prevent a repeat of the Russian active measures campaign that targeted our 2016 election, by including a minority-authored provision requiring a briefing to key congressional leaders, including members of the intelligence community and committee, if the United States faces a significant foreign cyber intrusion or active measures campaign directed at a federal election.

The bill also ensures that America's technological advantage remains a priority for our intelligence services. As such, the bill resources and directs efforts that will promote our advantages across a range of cutting-edge domains, from space to artificial intelligence.

It enhances transparency and allows public access to certain work of the IC. The bill reauthorizes for 10 years the Public Interest Declassification Board which advises the President and executive branch agencies on the review and declassification of IC records of historical importance.

The bill also includes minority provisions related to parental leave, student loan repayment, and diversity and inclusiveness that are intended to make an exceptional workforce even better.

In the end, the men and women who serve in the intelligence community and the Defense Department are the most important factor in the success of our national security.

There are many other provisions in the bill that will build on the work of past years and move us further along technical and other pathways to meet new challenges and those still on the horizon.

This bill advances our national security, reinforces the principle of congressional oversight, and honors our values as a Nation.

Mr. Chair, I urge the support of the House, and look forward to considering amendments that will make a good bill even better. I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I will take this opportunity to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, 1 month ago, the CIA held its annual memorial ceremony to honor its fallen. This year, the agency added four stars to the memorial wall, signifying four officers killed in the line of duty but who cannot be publicly named even in death. That, Mr. Chairman, is the sacrifice that we ask of our intelligence professionals, and it is one that they are prepared to make.

In exchange for that fidelity, it is our job to provide the intelligence community with the tools and authorities that it needs to keep us safe, all while exercising our constitutional authority of oversight and direction. This bill meets that responsibility, and I urge its passage by the House.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and our incredible staff. In particular, I thank Shannon Stuart, Carly Blake, Alan Souza, Mark Stewart, Wells Bennett, Scott Glabe, Rheanne Wirkkala, Amanda Rogers Thorpe, Thomas Eager, Kris Breaux, Christine Bocchino, Maher Bitar, Shannon Green, Linda Cohen, Patrick Boland, and Tim Bergreen.

These staff members labor three floors below the Capitol in a space we affectionately call--and sometimes unaffectionately call--the bunker. They do so for long hours and without daylight. We are very grateful to them and for their service.

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

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to offer this amendment on behalf of its author, Mr. Keating of Massachusetts, who is one of our fine members who has great experience in public safety prior to coming to the Congress.

This amendment builds on an initiative from Chairman Nunes to extend tour lengths of deployed U.S. Government personnel, particularly those who are proficient in difficult languages such as Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, and Korean. Specifically, the amendment adds the Russian language to that list.

In view of the continuing threat to our national security posed by the aggressive action of the Russian Government, the U.S. Government must fully engage its cadre of personnel proficient in the Russian language.

I am a slow talker. I am talking even more slowly, and my colleague has arrived. I want to thank my colleague for his work.

Mr. Chairman, I urge support of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for offering this amendment.

I am pleased to rise in support. This amendment clarifies section 1503 of the bill dealing with foreign counterintelligence and cybersecurity threats to Federal election campaigns.

The current provision directs that, for each Federal election, the Director of National Intelligence, the Under Secretary of Homeland Security, and the FBI will make publicly available a report on foreign counterintelligence and cybersecurity threats to our elections.

Section 1503 strengthens our elections by providing information to the public about these threats by providing information about best practices and resources which may be used to counter these threats.

Mr. Schneider's amendment adds to the publicly available report the identification of the foreign actor, when possible. This public attribution can be very powerful, not only in terms of protecting the public, but also in deterring any foreign intervention in our democratic affairs.

I want to thank my colleague again for his work, and I am happy to support the amendment.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment offered by my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

This amendment complements other provisions in the bill focused on improving the security clearance process in the Intelligence Committee. Specifically, Ms. Jackson Lee's amendment recognizes that an immediate review may be called for when a security clearance holder is reported to have engaged in certain violent acts against individuals, property, or public spaces based on an association or sympathy with persons or organizations seeking to prevent others from exercising their constitutional rights. Such rights include those related to race, religion, national origin, or disability.

I thank the gentlewoman for offering this amendment. I am pleased to support it, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

It is a great pleasure to team up with the gentleman again in pursuit of important priorities for the intelligence community and for our committee.

Enhancing diversity in the intelligence community is a continuing priority for the House and, unfortunately, remains a continuing challenge for the IC. While there are many intelligence professionals who are sincerely working to create a culture of inclusion, they acknowledge that progress is slow.

Mr. Hastings' amendment, together with initiatives championed by committee colleagues, Representatives Terri Sewell and Andre Carson, will help ensure that the Director of National Intelligence increases geographic outreach in IC recruitment efforts.

As coordinator of the IC, the DNI and his team are well postured to consolidate the separate recruitment activities of each IC entity into a comprehensive recruitment campaign that reaches every corner of our Nation, especially underserved regions that have had little interaction with the intelligence community.

With the DNI's leadership, smart division of labor among IC agencies, and innovative use of virtual communications vehicles, I am confident that a comprehensive recruitment campaign can cover the Nation more effectively and attract a workforce that is more representative of America.

Once again, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Hastings, as well as my HPSCI colleagues for their commitment to diversity, and I encourage my colleagues to support the amendment.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I am proud to support the amendment offered by Representatives Schneider, Meadows, Torres, and Sinema.

Mr. Chair, it is imperative that our Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs Committees with oversight of Iran's role in Syria and Lebanon stay informed of proxy forces operating there and the strategic threat posed to Israel, our other allies, and our Nation's interests in the region.

Requiring that the Director of National Intelligence report on areas such as arms transfers from Iran to Hezbollah and other militias, weapons facilities, supply chains, and financial capabilities will help us gain greater understanding of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapon proliferation in the region.

I thank my colleagues for offering the amendment. I appreciate Mr. Schneider's leadership on this issue, and I urge the House to support it.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

One hundred years ago, the great influenza pandemic, often called the Spanish flu, caused about 50 million deaths worldwide, between 3 to 6 percent of the global population, and far more than the deaths from combat casualties in World War I. Public health officials have warned that we are overdue for another pandemic that will likely spread even more virulently in our globalized world.

While global health may not be a topic that leaps to mind when thinking of the roles and missions of the intelligence community, the IC does play a pivotal role in defending us from microscopic threats. The IC's unique capabilities can be as valuable in combating disease as the other threats we face.

During the Ebola crisis, NGA and other IC agencies provided geospatial and other intelligence to health workers battling the outbreak. Ensuring that we are prepared for any potential pandemic will be essential to saving American lives.

I wholeheartedly support the bipartisan amendment by my colleagues from California, Virginia, and Washington, and I thank them for working with the committee staff to refine and perfect it.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for yielding, and I rise in support of the amendment offered by the Representatives from New York, Rice and King.

This amendment requires that the Director of National Intelligence, with the Department of the Treasury, submit to Congress a report on the possible exploitation of virtual currencies by terrorist actors, including state sponsors of terrorism.

It has long been said that if you wish to uncover the truth about malign activity, then follow the money. This remains true with the development and use of virtual currencies.

The IC must always remain one step ahead of our adversaries, and this amendment will help ensure that they continue to do just that.

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Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I am proud to rise in support of the amendment offered by my colleague from Illinois, Congressman Lipinski.

This amendment requires that the Director of National Intelligence submit a report to Congress describing spending by Iran on military and terrorist activities outside of the country, including spending to support Hezbollah, Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hamas, and proxy forces elsewhere.

The intelligence community rightly remains focused on Iran's support for malign foreign military and terrorist activities abroad.

This amendment helps ensure that Congress has full visibility into the judgments and assessments of the IC on Iran's spending to support these groups, and for that reason I support the amendment.

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