Intel reform conferees meet, but may not finish before election

Under increasing pressure from families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, House and Senate conferees held their first meeting on legislation to overhaul intelligence programs on Wednesday.

House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., who chairs the conference, said he could not predict whether the work could be completed before November's elections, and noted that staff-level meetings have not been "fruitful."

House Republicans are going to offer compromises closer to the positions of the White House and Senate, according to Hoekstra, who planned to meet Wednesday with House Intelligence ranking member Jane Harman, D-Calif., Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking member Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., to discuss the offer. Some conferees appeared to view the development as an effort by Hoekstra to force through the House proposal, although Collins put a more positive spin on it.

"We're just trying to figure out a practical way to start moving forward, and then reconvene, either by Senate or House or all together, and talk more broadly about those concepts," she said. Conferees might yet meet again on Thursday.

Battle lines were quickly drawn when House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., stressed the need to preserve the Defense Department's authority over existing and future intelligence assets, such as spy satellites. That move is sure to spark debate among conferees who support the Senate bill, which would give a new national intelligence director more control over such resources.

"We have to be very, very careful during this conference," Hunter said, asserting that the House bill balances the authority of the defense and intelligence officials over satellites and other intelligence platforms. Hunter also suggested the legislation be vetted "with the people whose lives are on the line" before it is finalized.

House Rules Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., touted House language aimed at improving border security and other immigration-related provisions. "Securing our borders is one of the most important steps we can take," Dreier said. Senate Armed Services ranking member Carl Levin, D-Mich., called on conferees to retain Senate language aimed at improving congressional oversight of the intelligence community, provisions the White House said it opposed in a Tuesday letter to Hoekstra and Collins.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., urged conferees to consider adding a new provision geared toward improving intelligence analysis. Roberts said a new analysis review unit would "look over the shoulder" of intelligence analysts to ensure quality control, but House Republicans are likely to oppose that effort.

Collins emphasized the need for a strong national intelligence director with full budget and personnel authority. She said a new National Counterterrorism Center must be established to organize and prepare joint plans in the global war on terrorism, and that a civil liberties board must be formed to protect civil and privacy rights. In its letter, the White House said it opposes Senate provisions aimed at protecting civil liberties.