Deadline missed on spy-agency overhaul
WASHINGTON -- After missing a crucial deadline in congressional talks to revamp US spy agencies in order to address failures exposed by the Sept. 11 attacks, lawmakers held out hope yesterday of reaching an agreement that can pass Congress after Tuesday's elections.
Lead negotiators for the House and the Senate acknowledged they would not reach agreement before the self-imposed preelection deadline. In a telephone news conference, some expressed concern that failure to act before a new Congress is seated in January would deal a death blow to changes in the intelligence operation.
"I am pessimistic that if we have to start all over again next year that we would be successful," said Senator Susan M. Collins, a Maine Republican. "We are fast learning there is a reason that intelligence reform has been blocked over the past 50 years time and time again. It is extremely difficult to accomplish."
The Sept. 11 Commission, which investigated the 2001 attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon, cited major intelligence failures in its July report that recommended an overhaul of US spy agencies and a new national intelligence director post.
But Senate and House negotiators have failed to reach agreement on the crucial issue of budget powers of the new intelligence director, who would oversee the 15 US spy agencies. The Republican-written House bill would keep much of that power in the hands of the Defense Department, while the bipartisan Senate bill would give the new intelligence director authority over most of the intelligence budget.
The two sides also have major differences over controversial law enforcement and immigration provisions contained in the House bill, although Representative Peter Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, said the House was prepared to offer some compromise in those areas.
The House and the Senate are due to return Nov. 16 for a postelection session to deal with remaining appropriations bills for this year. Negotiators say they hope to reach agreement on an intelligence bill by then so Congress could pass it and send it on to President Bush for his signature.
Failure to pass legislation has disappointed some of the families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. Sept. 11 Commission members and the Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Commission, one of the better known family groups, have been lobbying in favor of the Senate bill. 