James M. Talent: “I can see how that would happen, and we should not accept something that is working fairly well if we think we can make…”

“I can see how that would happen, and we should not accept something that is working fairly well if we think we can make it better. It may be possible by moving these agencies into the NID for budgetary purposes that they will get a higher priority than they get now with the DOD which does not see itself primarily as an intelligence department. I can see potential pluses to this. I just thought it was very important that the record show the concern about this is not only deep with you two as the managers but also all throughout the Senate and the Congress, that there are many of us who are familiar with this and who know this current system is working, certainly working much better than it used to. I hope whoever is going to be the national intelligence director--I certainly will bring this up in the confirmation process, and I hope you two do as well--knows we want his cooperation and will continue to want this to be a priority. I thank the Senator for his comments. I yield back my time.”