OMB details many concerns with intelligence bills

The White House has numerous objections to intelligence authorization bills passed by both the House and Senate and hopes significant changes can be made in conference, Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said Monday in letters to leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence committees.

At the top of the list of concerns are congressional notification provisions in both bills, especially the "unreasonable burdens" imposed by proposed Senate requirements that any change in covert actions must be reported to the Intelligence panels, Orszag wrote.

OMB also has concerns about allowing the Government Accountability Office to conduct oversight of intelligence agencies, as provided in both bills; about requiring that all interrogations be videotaped, even when conducted in remote locations; and about a $60 million cut in funding authorized for fiscal 2010, the letter said.

The House passed its intel measure 235-168 on Feb. 26, and the Senate passed its bill by unanimous consent last September.