The Senate Intelligence Committee added some new intelligence agency...

proposes making the director and inspector general of the National Security Agency subject to presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, as a surveillance law overhaul Senate Intelligence cleared recently also proposes (CD Nov 1 p4). That other overhaul would preserve the government’s bulk collection of phone metadata, a hotly contested issue amid various proposals before Congress. The Intelligence Reauthorization bill also proposes to require, on a permanent basis, that the executive branch alert Congress before letting the public know intelligence information as part of authorized disclosures. The Justice Department would also have to tell the intelligence committees of all the Office of Legal Counsel opinions about intelligence activity conduct, the bill proposes. Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Congress should adequately fund intelligence agencies. Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., agreed: “With our debt at $17 trillion and growing, we face stark budget realities that demand wise and efficient use of taxpayer dollars. This year’s intelligence authorization bill achieves both objectives by providing clear guidance and appropriate resources to the intelligence community, while enhancing the committee’s oversight of vital intelligence activities.”