C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger: “I rise to oppose the rule on the fiscal year 2005 Intelligence Authorization Act. In response to some of the comments…”

“I rise to oppose the rule on the fiscal year 2005 Intelligence Authorization Act. In response to some of the comments made by our colleagues on the other side, let me just make this statement: this issue is not about politics; it is about national security. Now, it is important in our work here in the House that we put America first. Equally important is a focus on ensuring that the men and women protecting us in the intelligence agencies and in the military have all the support and resources that they need. I am surprised that a number of Democratic amendments were ruled out of order, notably the Peterson amendment which would fully fund the counterterrorism budget needs of the intelligence agencies. As the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) has pointed out, the current bill authorizes less than a third of the additional funds the intelligence agencies need to fight the war on terrorism. This one-third comes from the contingency emergency reserve fund that the President asked for on May 12, which is designed to bridge the gap between the budget request and a supplemental funding request that will not happen until after the election.”