The White House defended recent efforts to reform...
The White House defended recent efforts to reform surveillance programs while deflecting concerns about a recent leak from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, during a Thursday news conference. “There’s little debate that these programs are critical to our…
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national security,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “They have played a role in protecting the homeland and disrupting plots by those who are looking to perpetuate violent acts against the United States of America and our interests. So the president is committed to strengthening those programs.” Earnest described the surveillance review group that President Barack Obama created. Its five members were disclosed Tuesday night (CD Aug 29 p2), he said: “So the president’s following through on those promises of reform.” In response to questions, Earnest said he hadn’t seen the latest leaks from Snowden disclosing U.S. spy agencies’ classified “black budget” for FY 2013, amounting to $52.6 billion, published in The Washington Post Thursday (http://wapo.st/17p7gYs). This “budget reflects hard choices to ensure critical national security requirements are addressed in the face of a reduced budget environment,” wrote Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in the apparently leaked document. “We must be prepared to accept -- and manage -- reasonable risk.” Clapper referred to “worldwide threats that are expanding in scope and complexity.” The $52.6 billion “represents a decrease of $1.3 billion, or 2.4 percent, below the FY 2012 enacted level; and it reduces personnel by 1,241 positions, or one percent,” the document said. It showed large increases in such spending over the last several years, however. The CIA requested $14.7 billion of the overall budget, while the NSA requested $10.8 billion. Earnest declined comment on the leaked budget information. He said “strengthening public confidence in these programs is important to the success of these programs.”