Senate Governmental Affairs leaders highlight support from 9/11 panel
Flanked by 9/11 Commission members, families of victims and some House members, Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking member Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., made a public pitch for Congress to enact their legislation to overhaul the intelligence community on Tuesday.
"I view these folks with us today as reinforcements," Lieberman said about his and Collins' efforts to fend off amendments on the Senate floor this week.
Collins and Lieberman called on the families of the victims of the terrorist attacks and the commissioners to publicly help them oppose amendments to both their legislation and a similar House bill unveiled by GOP leaders last week.
"We need them now," said Lieberman. "We need them to take us to victory."
And Collins acknowledged the trump card the commissioners and families represent for their legislation. "The powerful supporters you see here today add tremendous momentum to our bill," she said.
The senators expressed hope that the House would narrow its version of the legislation to only intelligence reforms to ease House-Senate conference negotiations. House Intelligence Chairman Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., said he and ranking member Jane Harman, D-Calif., would work together to produce similar intelligence changes. Harman added that she would like to "narrow" the House GOP's bill, which includes new law enforcement tools that civil liberty groups have labeled as "PATRIOT Act 2" provisions.
Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, endorsed that idea, saying "some matters" in the House legislation do not address "core" 9/11 recommendations and should "be considered with other legislation." Hamilton called the Collins-Lieberman legislation the "right bill for legislative action."
Collins and Hoekstra said it was not unusual for the House and Senate to deliver divergent legislation and it would not adversely affect conference negotiations. But Lieberman argued the additional provisions are "extraneous" and would bog down Congress' efforts. Collins said with "luck and hope" the two chambers could pass a conference report before Election Day. Collins has said a realistic goal is to have a bill on the president's desk by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Armed Services ranking member Ike Skelton, D-Mo., criticized House GOP leaders for drafting an intelligence reform bill that is a "purely partisan product," according to Hoyer.
Skelton told reporters Tuesday he was not consulted in drafting the provisions in the bill that fall under his committee's jurisdiction.
"I was briefed on it after it was done," he said.,p. Skelton said he is talking with committee Democrats and staff on potential amendments to the bill. The Armed Services Committee will mark up the bill Wednesday.