In bipartisan vote, House approves Intel funding

The House on Thursday passed legislation authorizing appropriations for intelligence activities for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 in a bipartisan 363-54 vote.

In addition to authorizing intelligence-related funding, the legislation increases congressional oversight by requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) and the intelligence community to develop a plan to assess “numerous roles, missions and functions of the Defense Intelligence Agency.”

{mosads}The bill aims to improve injury benefits for CIA employees, allocate funds to fight against potential election interference, creates an Infrastructure Security Center within the Department of Energy to coordinate intelligence and increases pay for certain employees in an attempt to improve retention within agencies for “critical cyber missions,” according to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Under the legislation, Congress would require the intelligence community to provide reports on investigations into classified leaks, timelines for security clearances,  Russian influence on elections and the process used to review information on computer vulnerabilities. 

While the White House praised the legislation for providing the means to carry out its national security strategy, it expressed concerns about 10 different provisions — including reporting requirements on classified information and language requiring a policy for minimum insider threat standards — ahead of the vote.