Devin Nunes: “Passing an annual intelligence authorization bill is the most important tool Congress has to conduct effective oversight…”

“Passing an annual intelligence authorization bill is the most important tool Congress has to conduct effective oversight of the intelligence activities of the U.S. Government. Today, Ranking Member Schiff and I are bringing the seventh consecutive intelligence authorization bill to the floor. I am pleased to say that, as in past years, this bill is a bipartisan product that reflects the contributions of all of the committee's members. It was reported out of the committee by a unanimous voice vote. Because most of the intelligence budget involves highly classified programs, the bulk of the committee's schedule of authorization and direction are found in the classified annex to the bill. The classified annex has been available in HVC-304 for all Members to review since Friday, April 29. At the unclassified level, I can report that the overall funding authorized by this bill is slightly above the President's budget request, but still below last year's enacted level. The overall funding is also consistent with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Furthermore, the bill funds the Military Intelligence Program in line with the levels of the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.…”