[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 110 (Tuesday, July 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6261-H6284]


   FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2015

[...]

                 Amendment Offered by Mr. Frelinghuysen

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  The amount otherwise provided by this Act for 
     ``National Security Council and Homeland Security Council--
     Salaries and Expenses'' for the National Security Council is 
     hereby reduced by $4,200,000.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 661, the gentleman 
from New Jersey and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would reduce the 
amount available for the National Security Council staff by $4.2 
million, or by approximately one-third.
  The National Security Council staff is the President's staff. They 
serve solely to provide advice to the President on national security 
matters. They have no authority to manage programs. They have no 
authority to allocate funds or otherwise decide spending levels. And 
they have no authority to determine or dictate congressional access to 
classified information involving sensitive military matters or 
operations. As the President's staff, it is appropriate that they are 
accountable to him, just as our staff is only accountable to us. 
Therefore, they are not subject to congressional questioning nor other 
forms of oversight.
  Over the past few years, the size of the National Security Council's 
staff has grown, and it appears that they have moved beyond their 
Presidential advisory role to involve themselves in decisions which are 
not in their purview. Over the last few months, we have had several 
instances in which the National Security staff has mandated that the 
Department of Defense and other agencies selectively withhold 
information from congressional oversight committees.
  While the President has constitutional authority as Commander in 
Chief to provide for the Nation's defense, this Congress was vested 
exclusively with the constitutional authority to fund that defense, a 
constitutional authority that is vested in the Appropriations 
Committee.
  Mr. Chairman, it is important that all appropriate oversight 
committees are not restricted from the information they need to have to 
do their jobs.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the 
time in opposition to the gentleman's amendment, although I am not 
opposed to it.
  The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman from Indiana is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the recognition, and I 
would strongly emphasize that I join with my chairman and colleague 
from New Jersey in support of his amendment. So that there is clarity 
as to the purpose of his offering this amendment, I would reiterate two 
of his remarks.
  Over the last few months, we have had several instances in which 
National Security staff has mandated that the Department of Defense and 
other agencies selectively withhold information from congressional 
oversight committees, and in one case specifically, excluding the 
Appropriations Committee. As the chairman rightfully pointed out, the 
Congress is vested exclusively with the constitutional authority to 
fund that defense, and the authority in this instance rests with the 
Appropriations Committee.
  The committee has included clear direction in the Fiscal Year 2014 
Defense

[[Page H6263]]

Appropriations Act and in the House-passed Defense Appropriations bill 
for fiscal year 2015 for the Department to report on the conduct of 
various programs as well as the obligation and expenditure of 
associated funding.

                              {time}  1715

  This direction addresses not only funds expressly provided in the 
Department's appropriations bill but Department actions that may cause 
the reprogramming of funds provided by the Congress.
  Accurate, complete, and timely reporting by the Department of Defense 
is essential for the committee to conduct its oversight 
responsibilities. It informs committee deliberations to prepare the 
annual appropriations bills. It helps prepare the committee for 
negotiations with the Senate, and at present, it will help the 
committee formulate recommendations on the recently submitted fiscal 
year 2015 budget amendment on the overseas contingency operations.
  The committee's responsibilities for funding are specific. Article I, 
section 9 of the Constitution states:

       No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in 
     consequence of appropriations made by law, and a regular 
     statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all 
     public money shall be published from time to time.

  I strongly urge the adoption of the gentleman's amendment, which 
underscores the constitutional prerogative of the Congress as well as 
of the Committee on Appropriations.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Let me thank Chairman Crenshaw and Ranking Member 
Serrano for this opportunity to propose this amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I am happy to yield the remainder of my time to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw), the chairman of the committee.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. I thank the chairman for yielding and for bringing this 
to the attention of the full House. I will refer to the gentleman as 
``chairman'' because I have the pleasure of serving on the Defense 
Subcommittee, and he acts as the chairman of that.
  Mr. Chairman, as the chairman has said, the National Security Council 
and the National Security Adviser have gotten into a bad habit, I 
think, of bypassing the Appropriations Committee, including the 
chairman of the Defense Subcommittee and the ranking member of the 
subcommittee, when it comes to issues of national security. I can tell 
you firsthand that I have had situations in which I have asked for an 
update on some matters, and they haven't been followed up on.
  I want to thank the chairman for his leadership in all things 
defense. I want to encourage my colleagues to follow his lead, and I 
urge that we adopt this amendment.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).
  The amendment was agreed to.

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