Jay Rockefeller: “I must express my dismay, my absolute dismay. Despite considerable efforts on the part of the chairman and Vice Chairman…”

“I must express my dismay, my absolute dismay. Despite considerable efforts on the part of the chairman and Vice Chairman Bond and extensive efforts and negotiations to get agreement on this bill, there is still an objection from one Senator for its consideration. The Senate's failure to pass this critical national security legislation for the past 2 years is remarkably shocking and inexcusable. In 2005, the Senate failed, for the first time since the establishment of the congressional intelligence committees, to pass an annual Intelligence authorization bill. That means for 27 years we passed authorization bills for the Intelligence Committee. It is not an inconsequential committee. It instructs how intelligence is to be done. There are a number of changes that have been agreed to. All of that failure was followed by a repeat failure in 2006--in 2005 and then in 2006. So from 1978 through 2004, the Senate had an unbroken 27-year record of completing its work on this critical legislation.”