[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20889]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  WE NEED TO FIX THE INTELLIGENCE GAP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Madam Speaker, in the last few days we've received a 
National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus opinion of the intelligence 
community that indicates a number of disturbing things. But as we take 
a look at the information that came out of the National Intelligence 
Estimate, perhaps the most important thing that it says is that we are 
a Nation at heightened risk.
  In some ways, al Qaeda has strengthened itself. We're concerned about 
the situation in Pakistan, where it appears that in parts of Pakistan 
al Qaeda may now enjoy a safe haven, a safe haven where it can plan, 
where it can train and prepare to attack the homeland again. We know 
that that is the true intent of al Qaeda.
  In communications that they have recently released, they've outlined 
their objectives clearly. Number one, they want to defeat the coalition 
in Iraq. The second step is that they want to destabilize the moderate 
Muslim regimes in the Middle East. The third step is they want to 
eliminate the State of Israel. The fourth step is they want to 
establish the caliphate, northern Africa, southern Europe and Middle 
East reaching down into Asia. And then they want to establish Sharia 
law in these areas.
  In another part of this recent communication, they indicated that 
they believe the world is made up of two primary areas: a core, Western 
Europe and the United States and outlying region, outlying areas; and 
the Middle East, northern Africa, the parts that make up the caliphate. 
And what they clearly say is that in today's world, because we have 
been on the offense, the violence has been in the outlying areas, 
Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern Africa and Iraq. And what they say is 
they want to move this violence from the outlying regions to the core. 
What does that mean? They want to move the violence to Europe and to 
our homeland.
  Today, as we face this critical test, today we received a letter from 
Mike McConnell who is the Director of National Intelligence, building 
on testimony that the intelligence community provided us in September 
in 2006, building on information that they gave to us in April, 
building on a public statement that Mr. McConnell made on May 21 in an 
op-ed piece in the Washington Post. What does it all say?
  Our Nation faces an intelligence gap. Think of it. As we face greater 
risk and a higher security threat than we've faced perhaps in a long 
time, we have an intelligence gap, a situation in which our 
intelligence community every day is missing a significant portion of 
what we should be getting in order to protect the American people. Not 
only should we be getting it, but we could be getting it, but we have 
this intelligence gap because we have a 1970s law called the Foreign 
Intelligence Surveillance Act that Members on the other side of the 
aisle refuse, refuse to update and to modify.
  The letter goes on, If we are to stay a step ahead of the terrorists 
and protect the American people, I firmly believe that we need to be 
able to use our capabilities to collect, now listen to this, to collect 
foreign intelligence about foreign targets overseas, without 
requirements imposed by an out-of-the-State, out-of-date FISA statute.
  Today, for instance, the statute requires that in a number of 
important situations that we obtain court orders. We need to obtain 
court orders to most effectively obtain foreign terrorist 
communications, and remember, this is about foreign intelligence, about 
foreign terrorists, who are overseas, and we need to get court orders 
to intercept those communications.
  The letter goes on, Simply put, in a significant number of cases we 
are in the unfortunate position of having to obtain court orders to 
effectively collect foreign intelligence about foreign targets located 
overseas.
  Then some say, well, let's just take some of our resources and apply 
it; we can expedite. Number one, it doesn't solve the problem to 
prepare these court orders by just putting more people, but to get the 
right kind of information, to prepare these court orders and get them 
done in the right way, it would take important analysts and put them in 
the position of preparing court orders for foreign terrorists and get 
court orders.
  We need to fix this intelligence gap, and we need to do it before we 
go on recess next week.

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