Mike Gallagher: “I would like to acknowledge and thank Chairman McCaul for his leadership in undertaking this effort as we take the next…”

“I would like to acknowledge and thank Chairman McCaul for his leadership in undertaking this effort as we take the next step in advancing the 2017 Department of Homeland Security authorization bill. As part of this broader legislative effort, I sponsored the Intelligence Rotational Assignment Program Act because I believe we need to make sure that our Intelligence Committee has the best and most robust training in the world in order to keep our Nation safe. In 2015, the Department's Chief Intelligence Officer identified the need to strengthen the workforce at the agency by giving intelligence analysts the tools they need to succeed. I served as an intelligence officer for 7 years in the Marine Corps and worked in the Intelligence Committee, including at the National Counterterrorism Center, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, so I know firsthand the value of intelligence analysts gaining experience in different mission areas in order to broaden their ability to do their jobs more effectively for the American people. This program does that. It encourages analysts to gain experience in all of the various agencies that are part of the larger DHS community. With authorization, this bill will ensure that we are building and strengthening the expertise among employees at the DHS in order to keep the country safe.”