9/11 Commission Recommendations: Intelligence Budget

Publication Date: September 2004

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Military and defense

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Abstract:

This report identifies the main recommendations of the 9/11 Commission with respect to the intelligence budget. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, known as the 9/11 Commission, on July 22, 2004 recommended replacing the Director of Central Intelligence with a National Intelligence Director: (1) to oversee national intelligence centers on specific subjects of interest across the United States government; and (2) to manage the national intelligence program and oversee agencies that contribute to it. The National Intelligence Director would submit a unified budget for national intelligence and would receive an appropriation for national intelligence and apportion appropriated funds to appropriate agencies in the intelligence community.

The Commission also recommended that the top line of the intelligence budget should be made public and that Congress should pass a separate appropriations act for national intelligence rather than include funding for intelligence activities in the appropriations acts for the Department of Defense and those for other departments that have elements of the intelligence community. In addition, the Commission proposed that Congress should establish either a joint committee on intelligence or a single committee in each House of Congress that combines authorizing and appropriating authorities.

This report also describes the intelligence budget process under current law to explain the effect of these recommendations and presents the current budget authorities of the Director of Central Intelligence, as well as budget provisions in two bills, S. 2774 and H.R. 5040, that include all Commission recommendations.

This report will be updated to reflect major legislative developments.