Darrell Issa: “today I rise with great concern about what the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1 does, but I am more troubled by…”

“today I rise with great concern about what the Conference Report to accompany H.R. 1 does, but I am more troubled by what this report has left undone. The purported goal of H.R. 1/S. 4 was to implement all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report. This conference report does not do that. Specifically, this report remains silent on one of the 9/11 Commission's vital recommendations concerning reform of congressional oversight of intelligence. As you know, Mr. Speaker, the 9/11 Commission Report recommended that Congress should either form a joint House and Senate Committee on Intelligence or that the House and Senate should consolidate their authorizing and appropriating functions for the intelligence community into one committee in each chamber. To this end, I drafted language to offer during the conference on this bill. But, from introduction to floor consideration, under a closed rule, H.R. 1 did not follow regular order. Likewise, the conference was closed to amendment and debate on all but a few provisions, congressional oversight of intelligence not being one of them. My motion would have included language in the conference report to establish a commission to study the congressional oversight of intelligence.”