Steven Holt: “Mr. Chairman, I would subscribe to the comments of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), and I would like to…”

“Mr. Chairman, I would subscribe to the comments of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), and I would like to point out the problem with this amendment. It says it is the sense of Congress that the intelligence community should be revitalized by investing in its missions, people, and capabilities of the community. And, of course, that the efforts of the men and women of the intelligence community should be recognized and commended. This is commendable. This is what we would like to do. But if you read the findings of this, you find out what is really at play here. It is a gratuitous swipe at an administration that has long been out of office. If, in fact, we want to revitalize the community by reinvesting in its missions, we should be doing exactly what we have been talking about today, funding counterterrorism at something more than 30 percent of what the community, these people, say they need to carry out their missions and the capabilities that they need. Yes, we should revitalize by reinvesting. That is what we are asking to do today.”