Press

2018 Intel Authorization Act Clears Committee

WASHINGTON - Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) today announced the committee voted 14-1 to approve the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.

The bill’s next step will be consideration before the full Senate.

Senator Burr: “As a nation, we are facing an unprecedented range of threats.  State actors like Iran and North Korea continue their provocative missile programs while non-state terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qa’ida are redoubling their efforts to attack American interests and to find gaps in our aviation security.  Meanwhile, we continue the Committee’s inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.  All too often, the burden of protecting our citizens from harm falls on the men and women of our intelligence community and their ability to identify threats clearly and early.  The overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill shows that we all understand the gravity of the threats and how vital our intelligence community is to combatting them.  We are holding the intelligence community to account for every dollar they spend, and we are committed to giving them the resources they need to continue to be the best in the world.”

Senator Warner: “This Intelligence Authorization Act will provide the women and men of the Intelligence Community with the resources they need to do their jobs, which is to collect and analyze intelligence and present their best assessment to the nation’s leadership. In a year in which intelligence professionals have too often come under unjustified disparagement, they must continue to do what they do best, and the Committee has passed a solid, bipartisan bill to give them the resources they need while maintaining strong oversight of their activities. This bill contains important reforms to security clearance procedures, and continues the initiatives this Committee has undertaken over the last several years to push the Intelligence Community to be more innovative in its approach to overhead satellite systems. It also includes important measures to protect election systems and improve information sharing with states to ensure the integrity of the election process.” 

About the Bill:

The bill authorizes funding for the United States Intelligence Community, bolsters Congressional oversight, and provides appropriate legal authorities. 

Our priorities, as reflected in the bill, include:

• Ensuring the IC is well-positioned to detect cyberattacks and fully understand the capabilities of a wide range of nefarious actors. 
• Recruiting the best and brightest from every background and every needed skill set, getting them clearances quickly, and giving them the resources they need to meet these challenges. 
• Strengthening federal information sharing with state-level election officials.  Together, we will ensure our voting systems are well-insulated from those who seek to undermine our democracy. 
• Sending a message to Moscow that we will not accept their aggressive actions.  We will protect this nation and our allies with all the elements of state power. 
• Capitalizing on advancements in technology to make our intelligence services more effective, agile, and efficient, and to reinforce their status as the best in the world. 

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