Kent Conrad: “In my position on the Budget Committee, people are asking me, how is this money going to be controlled? People are given…”

“In my position on the Budget Committee, people are asking me, how is this money going to be controlled? People are given responsibility. Do they have authority? The final question I have with respect to the Department of Defense is, we heard the other day from the Secretary of Defense, Secretary Rumsfeld, who has a very strong management background. He expressed great concern, and I think it is a concern that absolutely deserves full consideration. His great concern, as I heard it the other day in our briefing, was that he is going to have a separation of responsibility from authority; that is, resources that are currently under his control and direction are going to move up the line to the national intelligence director. He and the warfighters have a fundamental responsibility and need for intelligence. He is concerned, with the separation of these resources--as the Senator describes, much of the budget moving from the Department of Defense level up to the national intelligence director--that he not be shortchanged and that his combatant commanders not be shortchanged of the resources they need to make tactical and strategic decisions. This is my final question: What is the response of the leadership of the committee to his concerns?”