Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, on the successful completion of a record military construction and Base Realignment and Closure mission. The Baltimore District worked on this complex mission for six years in the State of Maryland and throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense was given the difficult task to reorganize itself to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business. The Baltimore District was tasked with managing more than $4.2 billion in construction projects--more than any other in the Nation.

Their work has provided our service members, their families and our civilian workforce with cutting-edge facilities that will allow the Department of Defense to continue its mission of protecting our Nation for years to come. These include the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground and the Defense Information Systems Agency Headquarters at Fort Meade, among others. I am proud to welcome these distinguished agencies to the State of Maryland.

The Baltimore District's work extends beyond Maryland's boundaries. In Pennsylvania, the Defense Distribution Depot Susquehanna, Letterkenny Army Depot and Tobyhanna Army Depot are now better prepared to meet the needs of our service members. Fort Belvoir in Virginia has expanded exponentially and is now home to the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency and the Northern Regional Medical Command. Their new proximity to Washington, D.C. is critical for the continued security of our Nation.

The Baltimore District also contributed significantly to the economic stability of the region when we needed it most. The mission was executed with the help of many small businesses, including some owned by veterans, and created thousands of new jobs.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Defense set high expectations and aggressive schedules for this round of BRAC and expected them to be met. I applaud the Baltimore District, the North Atlantic Division and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their hard work, dedication, and persistence. I ask that you join me in thanking them for their excellent construction, design and engineering services.

Madam Chair, I rise today in favor of the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2012, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

When Chairman Rogers and I took over leadership of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, we made a commitment to getting back into the practice of passing intelligence budgets. We made a commitment to the men and women of the intelligence community to do what is right--to give our intelligence professionals the resources, capabilities, and authorities they need to keep us safe.

We on the Intelligence Committee have a responsibility to provide effective oversight; to help build up the community, not to tear it down; to hold the community accountable for performance while upholding the Constitution and protecting civil liberties. This is even more important today as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11, where close to 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives.

The bill makes smart choices by trimming where possible, eliminating duplicative efforts, and ensuring we do not affect the current critical capabilities that protect our Nation now and in the future.

The bill aligns our resources with our current threats in a fiscally responsible manner. After the debt debate this last summer, our committee trimmed our budget even further to keep its costs in check. The bill curbs personal growth when appropriate, never affecting the core mission. It invests in new positions for select high-priority needs, such as FBI surveillance officers to keep watch on terrorists, NSA cyber professionals to protect computers from malicious intrusions, and Treasury financial analysts to unravel terrorist plots.

We found major savings in operating costs, pushed down the price of programs through intense oversight, required acquisitions to come in on budget and on schedule, and invested in research and technology to keep our competitive edge. We fully funded the President's major satellite program as well as commercial imagery to ensure our intelligence professionals, the warfighters and our allies have the information they need on the front lines around the world.

Right now, this bill includes two controversial provisions relating to Guantanamo Bay detainees and another making the Director of the National Security Agency a Senate-confirmed position. These provisions garnered a veto threat from the White House. Chairman Rogers and I worked together to come up with a solution. Today's manager's amendment withdraws the Gitmo and the NSA Director provisions. I encourage all Members to vote in favor of the manager's amendment. If these provisions can be successfully eliminated, I will support this bill and look forward to seeing it become law. This bill will make great investments in space, cyber, and the warfighter.

Republicans and Democrats have worked together with our Senate counterparts to make this a good bipartisan bill. Intelligence is clearly the best defense against terrorism. This is even more important as we approach the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

If this bill is signed into law, it will be the third time in 3 years that the Intelligence Committee passed an Intel authorization act. For the 5 years before that, we did not have an Intelligence bill.

With this bill, we are giving the intelligence community guidance and critical direction. We are doing our job. With the passage of the manager's amendment, I believe this is a good bipartisan bill that makes important decisions to protect our families and communities. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the vice chair on the Democratic side of the Intelligence Committee.

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Will the gentleman yield?

I just want to confirm, Mr. Kucinich, I do respect your comments and your point of view, but our role on the Intelligence Committee is oversight. When we can pass bills, we work and oversee all these agencies. And if we find out where there are allegations of a concern, let me know, and we will try to do what we can do to get information. But I know of no situation that we have not been told in the last couple of years, when Mr. Rogers and I have been working together.

I think it's important for the United States of America to remember this. In my opinion, the best defense against terrorism is intelligence, but it's got to be done the right way and protect civil liberties.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to my good friend from Rhode Island, Jim Langevin.

(Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

It took a long time for us to get here today: days of important hearings, analyzing the intelligence community, hours of critical meetings, making important decisions of what to include and not to include in the bill and lots of time pulling it together.

Republicans and Democrats came together to make important choices to do what's right for the intelligence community and for our country. I commend everyone who participated in this effort, especially the bipartisan leadership of Chairman Rogers and other members of the Intelligence Committee.

I would like to thank both Democrat and Republican staff for the countless hours they spent helping us make this happen. With the passage of the manager's amendment, I fully support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same. The stakes are too high not to.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Madam Chair, I strongly support the manager's amendment.

The manager's amendment deals with the issues that the chairman talked about. Also, it was our negotiation to resolve certain issues, and that has been done. So I fully support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not intend to oppose it.

I just want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Virginia, for his involvement in all national security issues. We serve together on the Commerce-Justice Subcommittee in Appropriations and we work together on gangs. So I appreciate your focus on this area to protect the citizens of our country and our district.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

First, I just want to acknowledge the gentleman's service. You have been on the field. I think IEDs are one of the biggest threats that we have to our men and women in theater, and I strongly support that we move forward with your amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

First, I support this amendment. The amendment would include a sense of Congress language to encourage the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Homeland Security to integrate the intelligence-sharing capability of fusion centers and leverage participation from all intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security agencies to prevent acts of terrorism against the United States.

I thank the gentleman for this amendment, which is very timely as we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11. The Intelligence Committee is holding a series of open hearings in order to acknowledge the progress made in the intelligence and national security community since 9/11 and to identify areas that will need improvement.

One area we will explore is Federal collaboration with first responders at State and local levels. The Bipartisan Policy Center and the former cochairman of the 9/11 Commission, Lee Hamilton, recently issued a report about our national response to 9/11 over the last 10 years. They found that Federal and local information sharing is still not as good as it could be.

The proposed sense of Congress is consistent with the findings of numerous organizations, but our Nation still requires better integration of intelligence. I therefore urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment.

Also, I acknowledge the fact you are a former prosecutor. I am a former prosecutor. Our chairman is a former FBI agent.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 990. These three provisions of the PATRIOT Act provide important tools that help keep America safe.

I am pleased that this bill includes sunsets. Our Founding Fathers created a system of government that included checks and balances among the three branches of government: the legislative, executive and judicial. Sunsets allow for the legislative branch to conduct meaningful oversight on an ongoing basis.

I will support this extension because I believe that these provisions are consistent with the Constitution and provide the tools the government needs to keep us safe while protecting civil liberties.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to this amendment, even though I am not opposed to Mr. Reed's amendment.

The killing of Osama bin Laden was a great achievement for our intelligence professionals, who have been working to eliminate this threat to our national security for years.

Osama bin Laden was a terrorist leader who was responsible for killing thousands of innocent Americans, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, and loved ones. As we all know, 9/11 changed America forever.

On May 1, 2011, our military and intelligence professionals took extraordinary steps. People from the CIA, NSA, NGA, and elsewhere worked together as a team to get this job done. The mission was risky, but it was executed with great skill and precision. These professionals risked their lives to keep the country safe, and no Americans were lost.

The men and women who carried out this operation exemplify the extraordinary courage of those who serve our Nation, including our special operations.

The countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who have pursued bin Laden for years have the satisfaction of a job well done. I am glad we are able to honor those intelligence professionals in this Intelligence Authorization Act, including the military professionals. A grateful Nation thanks them for their service.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

First, I thank the chairman for his comments. We will work together on behalf of our country. It was a great day for America when we brought bin Laden to justice. I think we can be proud of the accomplishments of our intelligence community, our military, all Americans that were involved in helping to bring this individual to justice.

As the chairman said, we have a lot more to do. But let the word go out to the world that if you come and you attempt to attack or kill Americans, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, first I want to recognize the distinguished vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Mr. Hastings, for his hard work over the course of his 8 years on the committee. I had the privilege of serving with Mr. Hastings, and know he was committed to supporting our intelligence professionals. He was a leader on the issue of diversity in the intelligence community, and I applaud him for those efforts. Having a diverse intelligence community workforce is not simply the right thing to do, but it is critical to our mission.

Today, I am pleased to join my colleague and friend Michele Bachmann in support of H.R. 754, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. I thank her for her comments about partisan politics. The Intelligence Committee is a bipartisan committee that works together. The stakes are too high for us not to work together, and that's what we're attempting to do.

Now, the killing of Osama bin Laden is clearly the most monumental intelligence achievement in recent history. Our intelligence professionals worked together as a team, brought Osama bin Laden to justice, and killed him. It was a risky mission that was executed with intense training and a high level of skill. These professionals risked their lives to keep our country safe, and no American lives were lost.

I am pleased that Congress can provide the intelligence community with the resources, capabilities, authorities, and oversight they need to continue this great work. After months of negotiations and a number of changes to address many of the concerns of the administration, I believe this bill moves in a positive direction to assert congressional oversight over intelligence activities.

I am also pleased that Chairman Rogers and I could come to an agreement to add additional counterterrorism positions to the CIA. With this change, I will support the bill. This bill adds several thousand civilian positions above the level enacted in FY 2010. There is also a large increase in personnel at the National Counterterrorism Center, which is the NCTC, among others. The bill adds hundreds of millions of dollars for intelligence above current levels. However, I urge a ``no'' vote on this rule because it does not allow all Members of Congress to offer amendments to this bill.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, I rise in support of H.R. 754, the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2011.

The men and women in the military and intelligence community who helped locate al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden exemplify the extraordinary courage and skill of those who work tirelessly to keep our community safe. They should be commended for a job well done. But our fight against terrorism is not over. We have severely weakened al Qaeda, but we must remain vigilant as we work to eliminate this threat. I believe that it's our responsibility to give our intelligence professionals the resources, capabilities, and authorities they need to do their jobs successfully.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2011 has thousands of civilian positions above the level enacted in FY 2010 and above the level of people currently on board. This includes counterterrorism positions at the CIA and a large increase in personnel at the National Counterterrorism Center, the NCTC. The bill also adds hundreds of millions of dollars for intelligence above current levels. In response to the Web site WikiLeaks, the bill includes an insider threat detection program that automatically monitors unauthorized access to classified information.

The way Congress conducts effective oversight of the intelligence community is by passing an Intelligence authorization bill to give the intelligence community budgetary direction.

When I first got to the Intelligence Committee 8 years ago, right after 9/11, I was concerned with the lack of coordination and communication within the intelligence community. In the different areas in intelligence--the CIA, NSA, FBI--there was not the communication or coordination that was necessary. But this has definitely changed today. The Osama bin Laden mission proved that. Professionals from all across the intelligence community, including the CIA, NGA, NSA, and Special Ops, all came together as a team to get the job done. We are now on our game. We're working together. We're better than we've ever been. And we clearly have sent a message to the world: If you're going to attack Americans, if you're going to kill Americans, we're going to find you and we're going to bring you to justice.

On the House Select Intelligence Committee we work together. Chairman Rogers, as he stated before, and I have agreed to work together in a bipartisan manner. The stakes are too high not to do so. I join Chairman Rogers in saying politics has no place in the Intelligence Committee. The threats are real and the stakes are too high. Sure, we will have disagreements. We will disagree from time to time on policy. But we will work together to work through these issues to do what is right for the intelligence community to protect our country and our national security. This is what we did in this budget.

After months of negotiations with the majority and a number of changes to address many of the concerns of the administration, I believe this bill moves in a positive direction. It goes a long way to help our intelligence professionals get the job done.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 3 minutes to a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, the ranking member of the Terrorism Subcommittee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).

I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Chandler), a hardworking member of the Technical and Tactical Subcommittee of the Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining?

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

There are two issues that I would like to discuss that we don't talk about a lot, but I think it is important that we do raise the issue. I know Chairman Rogers and I and the rest of the committee do work on this issue, and that's our space program and that's also cybersecurity.

We, years ago, responded to Russia's putting up Sputnik by, in 10 years, putting a man on the Moon. What we did basically is we helped create the science of rocket science. We did research and development, and we were able to put a man on the Moon. That was a great day for the United States of America when we did put a man on the Moon.

Now we're in a situation where our space program needs to move forward. We have a lot of issues that we have to deal with in our space program; and the main reason for that is that, if you control the skies, you basically control the world. Space and satellites are so important to what we do, not just from an intelligence point of view, getting the information, taking the pictures, dealing with all sorts of communications. These are things that we do in space, and we have to keep moving ahead. We have to get our younger generation graduating from our colleges to continue to go into space.

And the big threat there is China and Russia. China is putting billions of dollars into space. Their goal is to go to the Moon, and it is our concern that if they do that we have to be with them there. We have to continue our research and development, and we have to be vigilant in our space program. Russia, also, is very active in the space area.

So it's something that isn't talked about a lot, but there's a lot of money that goes into space; and I think we have to do a better job in our military, in our space and intelligence, and let the public know how important space is.

There's also another issue which is of great concern, I think, to the United States of America's national security, and that is the issue of cybersecurity. As we speak, we're being attacked by different governments and who knows what else we're being attacked by, getting information, relevant information, every day we speak. It's a very serious issue; and, unfortunately, the public does not really understand what cyber is about.

Our NSA is as good as any operation in the world in their technology and developing the technology in order to protect our country. We don't control the Internet other than a small part, our dot-mils, the military part. So we have to make sure that our public understands how important cybersecurity is, how we could be attacked.

We just recently had an attack about a month ago on NASDAQ. Just think if we had a cyberattack on our banks and what the lack of confidence would be for our public, and the government can't afford to pay for it all. So there has to be an effort between our government, our military, our NSA, between our private sector and between individuals who have their personal computers. This is an area of the future we need to focus on.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I believe many valid points have been made in support of H.R. 754, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011.

First, I want to thank Mr. Rogers for his leadership and for working together in a bipartisan way to do what's right for our country's national security and to make sure that we do our job in the oversight of all of the intelligence areas. Hopefully, we will continue this relationship as we go forward.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to an outstanding member of the Terrorism Subcommittee, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren).

Mr. Chairman, in closing, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 provides policy guidelines and sets classified funding levels for the 16 agencies in the intelligence community. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is gone forever, but our fight against terrorism is far from over.

I believe this bill moves us in the right direction to ensure our topnotch intelligence professionals have the resources, capabilities and authorities they need to keep our country safe.

I also want to acknowledge our staffs on both the Democratic and Republican sides, who worked together very closely with us to help put together this bill. I've always said that you're only as good as your team. We talk about teamwork. You need a good team and a good staff.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, though I am not opposed to the amendment.

In this era of tight budgets, I believe it is our responsibility to manage every taxpayer dollar efficiently and effectively. Section 412 of the bill provides the Secretary of Defense authority to transfer certain funds into specific accounts to provide more accurate accounting of money spent. The manager's amendment strikes section 412 from the bill.

Section 412 will allow for an accurate audit of taxpayer dollars. This important tool will save us money in the long run. We must identify programs that are not working and trim those costs. A thorough audit will help us do that. We must ensure any cuts do not negatively impact on the performance of the mission. The administration supports section 412, and so do I.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I agree with the chairman. Staff is working together to try to resolve the issues involving section 412. We look forward to a positive resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

I appreciate Congressman Gibson's intent. And I also want to thank him for his service in the military. But I believe we should always be looking for efficiencies to help reduce costs throughout the government.

The Director of National Intelligence is conducting a similar review that will identify redundancies without sacrificing core missions. I want to see the product of those efforts before asking the DNI, Director of National Intelligence, to submit an additional report. For this reason I oppose the amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

I rise to offer the amendment for Congresswoman Waters as her designee.

I yield to the gentlewoman from California, Congresswoman Waters.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for his amendment.

I disagree with the chairman. I believe it's vitally important that we protect our railway infrastructure from terrorist attacks. Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued an intelligence message about potential al Qaeda contemplation in February 2010 of plots against the U.S. rail sector.

While there was no imminent threat at that time, we must remain vigilant. It's important that we devote resources to this issue. I hope that we could work together with the chairman if the amendment does not pass so that we can focus on this serious area of threat to our national security.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to mourn the loss and honor the life of Army Captain Charles E. Ridgley, Jr., who died April 16, 2011, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

A Maryland resident, Captain Ridgley was serving in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, and died of injuries sustained from a grenade attack by a suicide bomber on Forward Operating Base Gamberi. Four other brave American soldiers were killed in the attack.

At the time of his death, Captain Ridgley was assigned to the 17th Combat Support Battalion, based in Fort Richardson, Alaska. He had just two weeks left of his first overseas assignment before he was due to come home.

After overcoming a challenging childhood, Captain Ridgley joined the Army after earning his diploma from Walbrook Senior High School. He was inspired by his uncle's military service in the U.S. Air Force and participated in ROTC at Walbrook. He was commissioned a quartermaster officer in January 2007 and was assigned to Fort Richardson. While there, he earned his Bachelor's Degree in business administration with a concentration in global logistics from the University of Alaska. He was working toward his Master's Degree when he was deployed to Afghanistan.

Known as responsible and family-oriented, Captain Ridgley took great pride in his daughter and great care of his mother. Captain Ridgley also worked as a martial arts instructor who enjoyed mentoring the children of fellow soldiers. He deeply valued education and ethics.

Mr. Speaker, many Maryland soldiers have died in support of the global war on terror. Once again, we hang our heads with sorrow at the loss of another life. I ask that you join with me today to honor the life and memory of Captain Ridgley, a true Maryland hero.

Captain Ridgley will be forever remembered as a dedicated soldier who greatly loved his country and faithfully served his fellow Americans by fighting for this great nation. He risked his life to serve our country and deserves our unending admiration and appreciation.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to serve as ranking member of the Intelligence Committee. The killing of Osama bin Laden is clearly the most monumental intelligence achievement in recent memory.

Osama bin Laden was a terrorist leader who was responsible for killing thousands of innocent Americans--moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, and loved ones. Bin Laden was a threat to the United States and a threat to the world. He had the blood of thousands of people on his hands. As we all know, 9/11 changed America forever.

Over the weekend, our military and intelligence professionals took extraordinary steps. They worked together as a team and killed the al Qaeda leader. It was a risky mission that was executed with intense training and a high level of skill. These professionals risked their lives to keep our country safe, and no American lives were lost. The men and women who carried out this operation exemplify the extraordinary courage of those who serve our Nation. The countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who had pursued bin Laden for years have the satisfaction of a job well done. I applaud them for their persistence and professionalism.

It was a great day for America. Justice has now been done. But let it be known, we have shown the world that if you come after Americans, we will come after you. Even if it takes disciplined persistence by our intelligence professionals and considerable time and resources, we will get you. Let that be a warning to all members of al Qaeda and any terrorists who attack the United States. Our fight against terrorism and those who want to harm Americans is not over, but we have severely weakened al Qaeda. We will remain vigilant as we continue to work tirelessly to protect our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise to address the Senate amendment to H.R. 514, which would reauthorize three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for an additional 90 days.

Mr. Speaker, my position today remains the same as it was 3 days ago when we passed H.R. 514. As I said then, I would like to see a 3-year extension of these authorities until 2013, similar to S. 289, which is currently pending in the Senate.

The President supports a 3-year extension, too, believing, as I do, that a 3-year term would give our Nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies predictability and certainty in the conduct of their critical work.

Setting a 3-year sunset would also take this debate out of the political realm of an election season, which I think is the best way to approach things. This should be a matter of what is best for America, without regard to electoral politics.

I know that there are varying opinions on my side of the aisle, and principled members feel strongly in both directions. That is why I support reauthorization with a sunset, so we can take a second look at the authorities in 3 years to make sure they are being used properly and individual civil liberties are being protected--a critical consideration as we move forward.

I believe including a sunset in the legislation provides the proper checks and balances necessary to ensure we are doing all we can to protect Americans while also protecting Americans' constitutional rights.

I don't think anyone in this Chamber is happy with the position we are in now. Some of us wanted a 3-year reauthorization, some wanted a 10-month reauthorization, and some wanted no reauthorization. And now, here we are with 90 days, which ensures we will be back here having this debate soon.

I hope that we can use the next 90 days to hear from all sides on how we can improve the Patriot Act, and I hope that we can all decide to set the sunsets in the future in such a way to minimize the impact of politics so we can focus on getting the policy right.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to rise to address H.R. 514, a bill that would reauthorize three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act until December of this year, just 10 months from now.

Like the administration, I would like to see a 3-year extension of these authorities until 2013, similar to Senate bill 289 currently pending in the Senate. This longer term would give our Nation's intelligence and law enforcement agencies the predictability and certainty they need to keep our country safe in getting the politics out of intelligence.

I believe there's no place for politics when it comes to protecting our country and our very way of life. It must be U.S.A. first. A 3-year extension of these authorities would keep the debate about the Patriot Act out of the heart of the election cycle.

I believe including a sunset in the legislation provides the proper checks and balances necessary to ensure we are doing all we can to protect Americans, while also protecting Americans' constitutional rights.

There will be people in my party who will be on both sides of this issue. Everyone deserves a voice when it comes to national security.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a member of the Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. Speaker, first, it's important that we hear all points of view from my colleagues when it comes to the reauthorization of the expiring Patriot Act provisions.

I think the 3-year extension outlined in S. 289 will take politics out of this debate. I am pleased that this bill contains a sunset provision. It is important that these authorities have sunset dates so that Congress may evaluate the effectiveness of these tools on an ongoing basis.

Only with rigorous oversight can we ensure that the privacy rights of Americans are protected. As ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, I will ensure that the committee conducts effective oversight of these provisions. I hope, in subsequent reauthorizations of the Patriot Act, that Congress continues to use sunset dates which will keep Congress in the business of oversight on these important authorities.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, my heart goes out to all of the victims of the terrible tragedy--those that were killed or injured, their families and the entire Tucson community. I extend my condolences to all of the members of the Arizona delegation.

My thoughts and prayers are with Gabby. I know she is a fighter. I recall our trip together to the Middle East. We met with the presidents of Israel, Lebanon and Syria before we traveled to Iraq, where we walked down the streets of Baghdad together. I was so impressed by her courage and commitment to the troops on the frontline.

It is unthinkable to me that Gabby was safer in Baghdad than here in her own country. Every American has a right to express their opinion on whatever issue they choose, but there is no place in our society for this kind of hatred and violence. No one should have to think twice about their safety when they go to speak to their Congressman or attend a town hall meeting. This has been an attack not only on Gabby, her staff and her innocent constituents, but the democratic process itself.

With every negative, we should put forth our best effort to find a positive. It is my hope that this horrific tragedy will bring our country and our Congress together. Our forefathers created a great system of government. Unfortunately, I don't think the spiteful partisanship of today is what they had in mind. We must be tolerant of other views--to tone down the ill-natured rhetoric--and discuss our opinions respectfully. The negative and personal attacks against one other must stop.

I hope that Gabby makes a speedy recovery and can soon return to this floor where she will continue to be an example of courtesy and civility to us all. I yield the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, as chairman of the Technical and Tactical Intelligence Subcommittee and as a proud representative of the National Security Agency, which is in my district, I rise in support of H.R. 2701.

It has been nearly 6 years since an intelligence authorization bill has been enacted into law. These bills help ensure that the intelligence community has the tools it needs to keep us safe and that Congress has the tools it needs to be effective in its oversight capacity.

The bill before us today does both, and I would like to highlight two provisions.

First, the bill includes significant reforms to the way the intelligence community makes major purchases. Our subcommittee has focused much of our time on helping to ensure that we buy the right kind of satellites at the right price. Just like recent reforms to our defense procurement process, this bill helps us protect tax dollars while keeping our country safe and secure.

The Nunn-McCurdy provision requires congressional notification when costs run significantly over budget and cancels programs that run 25 percent or more over budget unless we get a reasonable explanation.

Second, the bill gives the Director of National Intelligence a voice in the process as we review and update security-related export controls known as ITAR.

These regulations restrict what American companies can sell overseas, but there are prohibitions on old, simple, and widely available technologies that are putting American companies at a severe disadvantage to foreign competitors. Before the restrictions went into effect in 1998, 73 percent of the world market for commercial satellites went to U.S. companies. By 2000,

that figure had dropped to 27 percent. That's unacceptable.

Loosening these outdated restrictions is critical to more than 250,000 American jobs supported by the satellite industry, which has taken a hit with the global economic downturn. Over the past 2 years, the industry has shed about 5 percent of its workforce.

In addition to this bill under consideration today, the House has passed an ITAR provision in the Foreign Affairs authorization, and we are waiting for the Senate to act.

Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to honor the faculty and students at Eastern Technical High School of Baltimore County, which has recently been designated as a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon Award recognizes public and private schools whose students have achieved at very high levels or have made significant progress and successfully closed achievement gaps, especially among disadvantaged and minority students.

Eastern Technical High School is a magnet school that provides 10 different career path programs for students which will help prepare them to become productive members of the workforce in the future. Education is so important in setting our youth up for success and Eastern Technical High School provides a phenomenal example of how to effectively do so. In fact, Newsweek Magazine ranks Eastern Tech as among the top 5% of high schools in the United States.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join with me today to honor the faculty and students at Eastern Technical High School. It is their hard work and dedication that have won them the recognition of the National Blue Ribbon Award. The school's consistent outstanding performance is an indicator of the faculty's perseverance and the student body's drive. It is with great pride that I congratulate Eastern Technical High School on its exemplary service.

Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to honor the life of Captain E. Lorenzo DiCasagrande, a shipping executive who helped transform Baltimore into a nationally recognized container port and thus contributed to the economic vitality of Maryland communities.

Captain DiCasagrande, who passed away May 21, 2010, was vice president of the Mediterranean Shipping Company for more than 20 years and was an early advocate of the Port of Baltimore. Within one year of joining the company, he had established weekly service for the line from East Coast ports, including Baltimore's South Locust Point Marine Terminal, which had previously been served by one ship once every two weeks. The company brought 8,000 containers each year to the South Locust Point shipping berth.

Captain DiCasagrande then paved the way for the success of the Seagirt Marine Terminal in 1990 by being the first container line to commit to the then-new terminal. Today, the company is committed to 150,000 containers a year and is still growing, with five ship calls every week to the Seagirt terminal. In fact, the Mediterranean Shipping Company is Baltimore's top container customer.

Earlier this year, Captain DiCasagrande celebrated with Maryland port officials as they broke ground on a new 50-foot berth for the Port, a long-time vision for him. The project will support 5,700 jobs and, when completed, accommodate larger ships and attract more cargo to Baltimore. It will help Baltimore maintain its current customers and attract new ones that will come aboard the larger ships of the future.

A native of Italy, Captain DiCasagrande adopted Baltimore as his second home, fiercely defending the city in business negotiations. He worked hard to win customers and built a strong relationship with the port community, elected officials and his employees. His friends and business associates alike described him as a great leader, well- respected and well-liked. He was also a dedicated husband, father and grandfather.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me today to honor the life of Captain Lorenzo E. DiCasagrande. His dedication as a tireless advocate for the Port of Baltimore is deserving of the utmost gratitude. He deserves credit for helping bring more cargo to Baltimore's piers and creating thousands of jobs for Maryland families.