Cornyn Statement on President's Action to Reform Intelligence

CORNYN STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT'S ACTION TO REFORM INTELLIGENCE

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Armed Services Committee's Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee, made the following statement Friday regarding President Bush's action Friday to strengthen intelligence gathering capabilities:

"I applaud President Bush for moving forward to strengthen our intelligence gathering capability by giving authority to an interim national intelligence director and establishing a National Counter-TerrorismCenter, which will grow on the model of the Terrorist Threat IntegrationCenter currently in effect.

"The 9/11 Commission has made some productive suggestions, but it's important to note that we have not waited for three years after the terrorist attacks of September 11 to act on intelligence reforms. We are much safer today than we were on 9/11, due to changes such as creation of the Department of Homeland Security, passage of the Patriot Act and creation of the Terrorist Threat IntegrationCenter.

"With the President's action to implement these key intelligence reforms, it's critical for Congress to review its oversight responsibilities and to do everything possible to ensure Americans are as safe as they can possibly be. Congress needs to have the courage and the boldness to implement fundamental reforms and I'm confident we will achieve those reforms in the next couple of months."