Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1655 - Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996

(House)
(Rep. Combest (R) TX)

The Administration would support H.R. 1655, if it is amended to:

— Increase the appropriation authorization for the Environmental Task Force, within the Community Management Account to the level requested by the Administration. The lower authorization level in H.R. 1655 would limit the scientific community's use of intelligence products for environmental research, and would undermine important environmental information exchanges with Russia. In recent months, the United States and Russia have made considerable progress in these exchanges.

— Delete the limitations on the intelligence community's ability to implement the Executive Order on declassification of national security information.

In addition, the Administration is concerned about the bill's appropriations authorizations that exceed the Administration's request. The increases are earmarked for lower priority programs, and, in light of serious budget constraints, are unwarranted and unjustified. The Administration will work with Congress to resolve differences concerning authorizations, especially those related to new programs, that are contained in the classified annex to the report on H.R. 1655.

Finally, the Administration strongly supports the commitment of the Director of Central Intelligence to major human resources management reforms throughout the Intelligence Community. Accordingly, the Administration urges the House to defer consideration of unrequested personnel proposals, such as the two percent retirement annuity reduction waiver for National Security Agency employees, until the Director presents the comprehensive reform plan.

Pay-As-You-Go Scoring

H.R. 1655 would increase direct spending and receipts; it is, therefore, subject to the pay-as-you-go requirement of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. OMB's preliminary scoring estimate of this bill indicates that its enactment would result in a net zero impact on the deficit. If, however, the provision waiving the two percent retirement annuity reduction for National Security Agency employees is adopted, the bill would further increase direct spending. OMB's preliminary scoring estimates for this provision are presented in the table below.

Pay-As-You-Go Estimates
($ millions)

Final scoring of this legislation may deviate from this estimate.