On the recordDecember 21, 2020
I want to thank the Senator from Virginia, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, for his work on the Intelligence Authorization Act, which is now part of the omnibus appropriations bill. I wish to address a few provisions that have been removed or modified. First, the IAA, as reported by the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, included a provision requiring the DNI to submit a report to the congressional intelligence committees on the implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 28. That report covers the classified annex referenced in section 3 of PPD-28. This report is extremely important. It will allow the committees to conduct oversight of signals intelligence collection conducted pursuant to Executive Order 12333. It will also provide the committee the ability to understand how the government interprets and implements PPD- 28, which has broad legal, policy, and diplomatic implications. In response to the outrage from our European allies regarding U.S. signals intelligence operations revealed by Edward Snowden, President Obama issued PPD-28 in January 2014. PPD-28 covers topics that are directly relevant to both Americans and foreigners, such as bulk collection. The directive, and its classified annex in particular, is designed to evaluate the benefits and risks of signals intelligence operations. It was intended to reassure our allies about the scope of U.S.…
