On the recordMay 12, 2011
I thank the chairman for yielding, and I rise in support of this reauthorization. Mr. Chairman, I also rise to pay tribute to the dedicated men and women of our intelligence community. Their work is not an easy job in the best of times, but over the last 10 years, they've carried an especially heavy day-to-day burden. They work long hours under tremendous pressure, mostly in obscurity, to ensure that Americans are protected everywhere. They are the unsung heroes of national security, and we owe them more than we can possibly repay. My colleagues, as a Member of the House from a ``9/11 State,'' I take very seriously the findings of the 9/11 Commission. One of the key recommendations of the commission was the need to improve coordination of the numerous congressional committees charged with overseeing and funding the intelligence community and its many activities. To this end, I commend Chairman Mike Rogers for including me as part of the intelligence team in his committee. I would also like to thank Chairman Hal Rogers of the Appropriations Committee for seeing fit to appoint me as one of three liaisons to the Intelligence Committee. We are working closely with the Intelligence Committee to eliminate the daylight that has existed in the past between these two important committees and the legislation that's produced. The bill Chairman Rogers and Mr.…
