Jay Rockefeller: “striking section 8086 would mean the following: that none of the funds in this bill could be spent for intelligence…”

“striking section 8086 would mean the following: that none of the funds in this bill could be spent for intelligence activities without an authorization bill. I do not know how else to do it. I am reluctant to take this step because I do not want our intelligence agencies to be caught without funding. But I see no other way to force the Senate to bring into the consciousness, the cerebral cortexes of the various Senators, that it is important to take up and pass authorization bills. This legislation is too important to be allowed to languish in legislative limbo. I am at a loss to understand why the Senate cannot complete action. It would be in no one's interest to not complete this, not the Senate, not the Congress, not the intelligence community, nor would it be in the national security interest of the United States. Democrats are more than willing to quickly debate and pass much needed national security legislation. Democrats know that it is essential that we permit the men and women of the intelligence agencies to continue their critical work on the front lines of the war in Iraq and the war on terror. In the meantime, to the men and women of the intelligence agencies, I say that we stand with you. We are proud of your bravery and your patriotism, and we thank you for your sacrifice, working in silence, and in the shadows, against the threat that America faces. (At the request of Mr.…”