Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 24 (Thursday, March 7, 2002)

[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 24 (Thursday, March 7, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H768-H769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

PROVIDING AMOUNTS FOR FURTHER EXPENSES OF PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON
INTELLIGENCE IN SECOND SESSION OF 107TH CONGRESS

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on
House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the
resolution (H. Res. 359) providing amounts for further expenses of the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the second session of the
One Hundred Seventh Congress, and ask for its immediate consideration
in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I take this
time to ask the distinguished chairman of the Committee on House
Administration for an explanation of his unanimous consent request.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. HOYER. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 359 is a supplemental funding
resolution for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, each Congress passes a committee
funding resolution to authorize committee spending. My colleague and I,
the gentleman from Maryland, passed a very good and effective committee
funding resolution that keeps the House in proper movement.
This process normally occurs at the beginning of each Congress. The
committee funding process for the 107th Congress was completed in March
of 2001 with the overwhelming passage and overwhelming bipartisan
agreement of House Resolution 84, a bipartisan initiative which not
only provided committees with the necessary resources to carry out
their important work, but which also set new standards for allocating
funds between majority and minority staffs.
I want to again thank the gentleman from Maryland and all the members
of the committees, both sides of the aisle, ranking members and Chairs
of the committees, for their tremendous and great cooperation.
Those funds more than adequately provided for committees to do the
necessary work which they are charged to do in the 107th Congress.
Unfortunately, because of the tragic and devastating attacks of
September 11, we find it necessary to come to the House floor to seek
additional spending authority for the House Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence.
The increased spending authority would be used to fund a joint
bicameral inquiry with our counterparts from the other body into the
activities of the intelligence community before, during, and since the
September 11 terrorist attacks. Among the purposes of this joint effort
is ascertaining why the intelligence community did not learn of the
conspiracy to launch the September 11 attacks in advance and to
identify what, if anything, might be done to better position the
intelligence community to warn of and prevent future terrorist attacks
and other threats in the 21st century.
The investigation will principally focus on the U.S. intelligence
agencies and their activities, as well as the interaction between
intelligence agencies and nonintelligence entities associated with our
national security. Based on their findings, the committee may seek to
enact changes in order to remedy any systemic deficiencies revealed by
the joint inquiry.
The decision to conduct a bicameral bipartisan review by the two
intelligence committees is supported by both the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Goss), chairman, and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi),
the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence, along with the chairman and ranking member of the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence.
Review of the activities of the intelligence community through this
joint effort is necessary for several reasons. To begin with, the two
intelligence committees, House and Senate, are best suited by
experience and practice to protect classified information. Since a
significant portion of the investigation must include review and access
to highly sensitive classified materials in order to fully understand
intelligence actions, review by both committees is appropriate and
needed.
Secondly, due to the fact that our Nation will be involved for some
time in the war against terrorism, a bicameral review will allow the
most effective use of time and manpower for those agencies that are
still involved in protecting, investigating, and compiling information
for our continued campaign against terror.
Third, by offering to approach the investigation in this manner, the
committees have secured White House assurances that access to critical
information necessary to do a thorough job will absolutely be provided.

And, finally, the unprecedented nature of the terrorist attacks
demands an unprecedented response. An inquiry by the elected
representatives of the people will ensure that we give the American
people the explanation they deserve regarding the events of that
infamous day.
The inquiry will consist of joint hearings, both open and closed, and
will be conducted once the initial data gathering and interviews are
completed. The inquiry is expected to last through the 107th Congress
and could quite possibly extend into the next Congress, though this
resolution only authorizes funds for this Congress.
Should the work continue into the 108th Congress, the House rules
regarding interim committee funding will be

[[Page H769]]

used to continue funding the committee, the inquiry, and all other
committees as usual.
So, Mr. Speaker, we come to the floor today with a resolution to
authorize $1.6 million in additional spending authority for the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Although the committee
already received an increase in its funding for efforts regarding
terrorism, that effort is looking more broadly into terrorism and our
Nation's preparedness rather than focusing in, in a comprehensive way,
on the specific day of September 11. As I stated earlier, the resources
made available to the committee which were allocated in the beginning
of the committee funding process for the 107th could not have possibly
taken into account what happened to this country on September 11. That
is why it is necessary for us to augment both the funding levels and
staff levels for the committee so that they may conduct a proper
inquiry.
The amount being requested is approximately one-half of the total
amount needed to hire staff and cover related administrative expenses,
such as office supplies, travel, and computer systems. The other body,
in separate action, has already allocated funds to its committees for
the same purposes.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of this resolution. We all
know if we fail to learn from the mistakes of the past we are doomed to
repeat them. I hope this inquiry will help us to learn from our
mistakes so we can avoid a recurrence of these horrific events.
In closing, I would also note that this House was ahead of its time.
Because last year, when we did the funding resolution, we gave the
proper increases to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
before we ever could have dreamed what would have happened here in the
United States. This, again, I think, is ahead of its time so that we
can look back into what happened to help us in the future, not only to
protect the United States but to, frankly, protect the world.
I thank the distinguished gentleman from Maryland for not only his
cooperation but for yielding to me.
Mr. HOYER. Further reserving my right to object, Mr. Speaker, I yield
to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished
ranking member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and
the minority whip.
(Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his
leadership and that of the distinguished chairman for facilitating this
request and bringing it to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation.
Next Monday is the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks in
New York City, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon. With the war against
the al Qaeda network, and terrorism generally, well underway, it is
important that the process of determining why the September 11 attacks
were not prevented receive appropriate attention in Congress.
The performance of the intelligence agencies is an essential part of
the September 11 story, and it is the responsibility of the House and
Senate intelligence committees to thoroughly assess that performance.
It is the judgment of the committees that a joint inquiry is the best
way to get at the facts and recommend changes as supported by the
facts. The committees intend that the inquiry will ascertain why the
agencies did not learn of the attacks in advance and identify what, if
anything, might be done to better position the agencies to warn of, or
prevent, future terrorist actions against the United States.
The joint inquiry will be a considerable challenge and will require
additional resources, primarily for staff. The measure now under
consideration provides these resources, and I urge its adoption so that
we may proceed as quickly as possible on this important task.
Additional resources and staff positions have been provided by the
Senate. It should be made clear that, although we intend for this
inquiry to be comprehensive as far as the intelligence agencies are
concerned, it will not be exhaustive of all of the issues surrounding
the September 11 attacks. Other committees may want to examine matters
within their jurisdiction and, at some point, it may be appropriate to
consider the creation of an entity outside of Congress to take an
across the board look at all of the components of the September 11
disaster. Our purpose in undertaking this joint inquiry, and in seeking
funds to do it properly, is not to foreclose any other review, but to
ensure that the intelligence committees properly discharge the
oversight responsibility given to them by the House and Senate.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I
certainly join the chairman of the Committee on House Administration in
strong support of this funding resolution, which I think is
appropriate, and I congratulate both the chairman and the ranking
member, as well as the other body for the process that they have
adopted to proceed on this matter, which I think will be efficient and
effective.
Mr. Goss. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strongest possible
support for the passage of this resolution, which will provide urgently
needed funds to support an unprecedented bipartisan and bicameral
inquiry. This joint congressional inquiry, involving the Members and
staff of both the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and
the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has several critical
tasks: first, to review the events and the actions of our Government
leading up to the terrorist attacks of last September; second, to
ascertain accountability within our Government for the management of
counterterrorist and homeland security functions, focusing specifically
on our intelligence mechanisms; and third, to ensure that our
Government is properly informed and prepared with accurate and timely
intelligence to stop current and future terrorist attacks against our
Nation and our people.
This joint inquiry is being handled on an urgent basis by the
leadership of both parties in both Houses and with the full cooperation
of the relevant agencies of the executive branch. This inquiry is
critically important to enhancing our Nation's security against the
threat posed by global terrorism and to strengthening public confidence
that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies are fully prepared
to defuse the terrorist threats that now confront our Nation.
I want to thank the Ranking Member for her participation and her
counsel in structuring the joint inquiry with the other body. I also
want to express my sincere appreciation to Chairman Ney and Mr. Hoyer
of the House Administration Committee for their close cooperation and
advice in moving the joint inquiry forward on an expedited basis.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

H. Res. 359

Resolved,

SECTION 1. FURTHER EXPENSES OF THE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE
ON INTELLIGENCE.

For further expenses of the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence, there shall be paid out of the applicable
accounts of the House of Representatives not more than
$1,600,000.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION.

Amounts shall be available under this resolution for
expenses incurred during the period beginning at noon on
January 3, 2002, and ending immediately before noon on
January 3, 2003.

SEC. 3. VOUCHERS.

Payments under this resolution shall be made on vouchers
authorized by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,
signed by the chairman of such committee, and approved in the
manner directed by the Committee on House Administration.

SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.

Amounts made available under this resolution shall be
expended in accordance with regulations prescribed by the
Committee on House Administration.

SEC. 5. ADJUSTMENT AUTHORITY.

The Committee on House Administration shall have authority
to make adjustments in amounts under section 1, if necessary
to comply with an order of the President issued under section
254 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act
of 1985 or to conform to any reduction in appropriations for
the purposes of such section 1.

The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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