Richard Burr: “the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has worked over the past 3 years to build a critical piece of legislation.…”

“the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has worked over the past 3 years to build a critical piece of legislation. The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 supports vital important programs and takes bold steps to defend this country. Last year, the Senate Intelligence Committee unanimously passed our bill with a vote of 15 to 0. ``Unanimous'' is not a word you hear very much in Washington today, but it speaks to the importance of the issues and the comprehensiveness of this bill. This success is also thanks to the efforts of Vice Chairman Warner. In June we partnered with our colleagues on the Armed Services to simultaneously push forward both bills. The NDAA and the IAA combination passed with a vote of 86 to 8. Likewise, the House Intelligence Committee bill captured an overwhelming vote in the full House when it passed in July by a vote of 397 to 31. After many months of work and negotiations, we have before us a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that improves our defenses today and will give the intelligence community the resources it needs to defend us in the years to come. For example, it deters Russian and other foreign influence in our elections and facilitates information sharing between Federal, State, and local election officials. It protects the Nation's supply chain from counterintelligence threats from countries such as Russia and China.…”