On the recordJuly 28, 2017
This year's Intelligence Authorization Act was a bipartisan effort, and I am pleased to vote for it today. With this legislation, we reaffirm that all of our government's activities, including ones that are, by necessity, classified, must be maximally effective and bound by law. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this year's IAA. I do want to take this opportunity, also, to commend our committee's outgoing fellow from the Los Alamos National Lab, Phil Tubesing. For 2 years, Phil has worked alongside the entire HPSCI staff, imparting his scientific expertise about nuclear weapons and the other significant national security work that our national labs undertake. Phil, we thank you for your service to the committee and wish you every success in the future. Finally, I want to extend a closing word to all of the men and women of the intelligence community. The work that you do keeps us safe. Your mission is to speak truth to power, to give policymakers objective, rigorously vetted and diligently produced intelligence, and you do that in magnificent fashion. Thank you for your commitment and resolve in the face of a challenging global threat landscape. With this legislation, we believe that we provide you with the adequate tools, authorities, and funding, while making sure that our congressional oversight remains robust. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
