Report – Congress Approves 2012 Intelligence Authorization

Congress last week enacted the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

“The legislation we are approving today keeps funding for intelligence essentially flat from fiscal year 2011, representing the a meaningful reduction from the President’s request,” said Senate Intelligence Committee chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on December 14.

Curiously, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, described the outcome somewhat differently on December 16:  “The bill is significantly below the President’s budget request for fiscal year 2012 and further still below the levels authorized and appropriated in fiscal year 2011.”

In both the House and the Senate action on the bill there was a conspicuous absence of public debate on any issue of intelligence policy.  No dissenting views were expressed.  Nor was there any discussion of or insight into current intelligence controversies.  For that, one must turn to other venues, such as “Secrecy defines Obama’s drone war” by Karen DeYoung in today’s Washington Post.