Conference Report on H.R. 1, Implementing Recommendation of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007
Floor Speech
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION ACT OF 2007
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with great concern about what the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1 does, but I am more troubled by what this report has left undone.
The purported goal of H.R. 1/S. 4 was to implement all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report. This conference report does not do that. Specifically, this report remains silent on one of the 9/11 Commission's vital recommendations concerning reform of congressional oversight of intelligence.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, the 9/11 Commission Report recommended that Congress should either form a joint House and Senate Committee on Intelligence or that the House and Senate should consolidate their authorizing and appropriating functions for the intelligence community into one committee in each chamber. To this end, I drafted language to offer during the conference on this bill. But, from introduction to floor consideration, under a closed rule, H.R. 1 did not follow regular order. Likewise, the conference was closed to amendment and debate on all but a few provisions, congressional oversight of intelligence not being one of them.
My motion would have included language in the conference report to establish a commission to study the congressional oversight of intelligence. The proposed commission would have examined the impact of the current system of congressional oversight on the intelligence community and specifically addressed at what cost to our national security is the decision not to heed the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
Unfortunately, I was blocked by the majority from offering my amendment. In fact, the majority refused to hear any proposals on intelligence oversight during the conference. The omission of any discussions regarding the 9/11 Commission's recommendations on this matter is troubling and has led to an incomplete piece of legislation that will leave America less secure. As such, this report, and our work as a Congress, is left unfinished.
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