House Democrats bar floor amendments to authorization bill

House Democrats on Wednesday were poised to push through a major bill authorizing programs and spending for U.S. intelligence agencies, after denying Republicans any chance to alter the legislation.

The House voted 234-183 to approve a rule governing debate on the fiscal 2010 intelligence authorization bill and two other bills -- one giving compensation to emergency responders who are have medical conditions stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and the other amending the 1930 Tariff Act.

But the Democratic-controlled Rules Committee prevented Republicans from offering any amendments to the intelligence authorization bill or a procedural motion to recommit, which Republicans have used effectively to create politically difficult votes for Democrats.

Republicans complained that the bulk of the intelligence bill was drafted last year and, therefore, that the legislation fails to address gaps in counterterrorism programs that were exposed in recent attempted attacks, such as efforts to bring down an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day and to blow up a vehicle in New York's Times Square in the spring.

"Terrorists are constantly evolving their strategies, but this bill is locked into the past," said House Intelligence Committee ranking member Pete Hoekstra, D-Mich. "This is the 2010 authorization bill. Fiscal year 2010 ends on Thursday, and we have done zero work on 2011."

Hoekstra and Homeland Security Committee ranking member Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., also complained that the bill does not prevent the Obama administration from closing the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or from bringing terrorism suspects to the United States for criminal trials. They also were upset that the bill does not prevent the administration from giving terrorism suspects Miranda warnings.

Democratic aides acknowledged that it was odd to pass an intelligence authorization bill for the current fiscal year that ends this week. But they said the bill included many significant provisions that would improve counterterrorism operations for years to come and improved congressional oversight of intelligence agencies.

For example, the bill would require the president to give all members of the House and Senate intelligence panels a general description of secret spy activities. However, the president could still limit detailed briefings on those activities to only the top Democrat and Republican on the panels and the top party leaders in both chambers.

Another provision in the bill would require the heads of all intelligence agencies to certify once a year that they had complied with legal requirements to keep Congress fully and currently informed about significant intelligence activities, a Democratic aide said.

Democratic aides also noted that the bill was approved unanimously by the Senate -- meaning Republicans there fully supported it.