Thomas Daschle: “One of the most striking aspects of the Commission report is the lack of Congressional involvement in the secrecy…”

“One of the most striking aspects of the Commission report is the lack of Congressional involvement in the secrecy system. Apart from the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Atomic Energy Act, which only applies to atomic secrets, there are few statutes dealing with these issues. If secrecy is a form of regulation, then this legislation will serve a similar purpose to the Administrative Procedure Act for the secrecy system. And there has been little Congressional oversight. I believe the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy, which Senator Moynihan chaired, is only the second statutory examination of the secrecy system.”