After Blocking Intel Reform, House Rushes to Pass Bill with No Scrutiny

After Blocking Intel Reform, House Rushes to Pass Bill with No Scrutiny

December 7, 2004

In the rush to appease President Bush, House leaders are set to vote on a massive 600-page intelligence reform bill today after blocking legislation for months. After meeting behind closed doors to solidify conservative support for the bill, the House will force a rapid vote leaving no time for anyone—including the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks—to read or challenge the most significant changes in intelligence in a generation.

• Major problems emerge when conservative leaders seek to ram through legislation at the last minute. Last month, conservatives in Congress tried to jam through a 3,000 page, $388 billion spending bill that contained a provision that would have allowed committee chairmen and their staffers to access Americans' income tax returns. It was finally removed from the House version of the spending bill yesterday. Similar problems are sure to arise without proper scrutiny of the intelligence bill.
  
  
• Congressional leaders must reform the legislative process to allow full debate and scrutiny of the public's business. First, Congress could commit to the 72-hour rule, which requires a three-day wait between when the House and Senate agree on a final bill and a vote on the floor. That rule is regularly waved by conservatives in Congress, in an effort to jam through their agenda as quickly as possible. An even better idea is to make final versions of bills publicly available for three-days before a vote. That way everyone, not just privileged special interest groups, will have a chance to weigh in.
  
  
• Intelligence reform is clearly needed, but Americans should feel confident the process was done above board and in their interests.   America desperately needs to streamline and reorganize the intelligence community as both the 9/11 Commission and President Bush argue. But the process should not be beholden to the whims of a few right-wing congressmen who are holding up the entire process. Congress owes it to the public to allow proper scrutiny of these new provisions before forcing a vote.  

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