[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 116 (Thursday, July 16, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4130-S4131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               MERIT Act

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the MERIT Act, 
the Minimum Experience Requirements for Intelligence Transition Act--a 
lot of words, but the bill is simple. It requires anyone serving as the 
Director of National Intelligence--even in a temporary capacity--to 
have extensive national security experience.
  It is common sense. You don't hand the keys to America's intelligence 
community to someone who has no experience, regardless of party or 
political loyalty.
  The Director of National Intelligence is a powerful job, and I know 
because I was there at the creation. I was one of the first people at 
the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, when it was stood 
up. I was seconded there as a CIA officer. I helped stand it up after 
Congress created it so that we never again miss a terrorist attack, 
like we did on 9/11.
  The Office uses powerful tools to gather secrets from our foreign 
adversaries, like China and Russia, from terrorist networks, and from 
threats to our homeland. But it is that power in the wrong hands that I 
want to talk about today.
  America's national intelligence community can be used to gather 
information not just from our foreign adversaries but, if turned 
against us, against the American people, it can be used to monitor 
Americans, to target political opponents, to dig through records, to 
punish critics, to help any President relitigate an election.
  Right now, that is where we are.

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