Congressional Negotiators reach deal on Intelligence Overhaul

AP ^ | Nov. 20, 2004

[AuntB]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Breaking a monthslong deadlock, key congressional negotiators reported agreement Saturday on legislation to overhaul U.S. intelligence agencies along lines recommended by the September 11 commission.

The agreement, reached in the waning hours of a postelection session of Congress, would create a powerful position to oversee the CIA and several other nonmilitary spy agencies.

A new national counterterrorism center would coordinate the fight against foreign terrorists.

The agreement is subject to approval by both the House and Senate before legislation can go to the White House. -snip

In private meetings, negotiators also clashed over whether to include an overhaul of U.S. immigrations laws and whether to increase penalties against terrorists.

No specific details were immediately available on the outcome of those issues.

The agreement was reached between Collins and Democrat Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- the lead Senate negotiators -- and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, and Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat, early Saturday.

If approved, legislation probably would win approval over the weekend

[AuntB]

Recently this is what Hoekstra had to say:

REP. JOHN HOSTETTLER (R-IN), CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY: Good to be with you, Lou.

DOBBS: Let's start with this guest worker program. Both candidates, Senator Kerry and President Bush, basically worked very hard during this campaign to avoid this issue. Will the House be taking it up in rigorous terms?

HOSTETTLER: Well, the House will not be taking up in a positive sense guest worker legislation. We know that this is a priority for some in Washington. It is not a priority for the House of Representatives. In fact, those of us in the House that deal closely with the immigration issue believe that we need to go the other way. And that is look at the issue of enforcement and strong enforcement of our immigration laws in order to keep not only more millions of illegal aliens out, but to do something about the 10 plus million that are here now.

DOBBS: Congressman, if you pause just a little, I think you're going to hear a lot of people cheering to hear an elected representative of the people talking in these terms.

The fact of the matter is, in your position, as chairman of the subcommittee, Donald Rumsfeld today, the secretary of defense, saying that he was now concerned that terrorists could use the same routes as used by human smugglers. Are you surprised to hear him at this rather late date acknowledging that risk?

HOSTETTLER: Oh, well, this is something that we have been concerned about for years. It is an issue that, as we look at the number of individuals crossing, for example, the southern border, referred to as OTMs, or other than Mexicans, that number is rising drastically, because others in the world realize that our southern border is porous. Our men and women in uniform and the Border Patrol are doing everything they can and then some to enforce and strengthen the border. There are just not enough of them. And this is something that there may be some disconnect within the administration..~snip~ ************

[AuntB]

From a few days ago on the Lou Dobbs Show:

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The risk is that some of these human-smuggling routes into our country from this hemisphere could be used just as easily for terrorists.

DOBBS: And three million illegal aliens are estimated to be entering this country this year.

Secretary Rumsfeld also said the United States has to be, as he put it, smarter and quicker in securing our borders. The federal government's failure to secure those borders is leading individual states to take action. Arizona's Proposition 200, which limits state benefits for illegals, passed overwhelmingly two weeks ago. Now at least half a dozen other states are considering similar measures.

[AuntB]

Others opposed to the guest-worker program were Reps. Lamar Smith, Sam Johnson and John Culberson of Texas; John Hostettler of Indiana; Nathan Deal of Georgia; Ed Royce, Gary G. Miller and Dana Rohrabacher of California; Tom Tancredo of Colorado; John J. "Jimmy" Duncan Jr. of Tennessee; Roscoe G. Bartlett of Maryland; Kevin Brady of Texas; Robert B. Aderholt of Alabama; Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. of Mississippi; John Sullivan of Oklahoma; J. Gresham Barrett of South Carolina; Barbara Cubin of Wyoming; Sue Myrick and Walter B. Jones of North Carolina; and Steve King of Iowa

[spodefly]

BTTT

[AuntB]

It will be interesting to see what finally gets into this bill. It appears it's a done deal, so no time left for our input.

[brothers4thID]

Don't be so sure. The Senate is far too ancy about this bill to pass it quickly.

[AuntB]

The last I heard 70 senators were ready to sign on with no immigration clauses included. I assume we'll hear soon what's in the bill.

[AuntB]

Update: Cnn is now announcing that the bill has been "pulled", even though the negotiators had an agreement. The reporter said Pres. Bush "personally interviened" to get the bill passed, but more negotiations will happen before the final vote.

[AuntB]

" It's simply impossible to protect Americans from another 911 without implementing immigration security measures."


Families of 911 Victims Launch Ad Campaign Urging Senator Rockefeller to Keep Immigration Security Measures in 911 Bill

http://www.aiada.org/article.asp?id=25724

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- 911 Families for a Secure America launched an ad campaign today in West Virginia encouraging Senator Rockefeller to keep immigration security measures in 911 anti-terrorist legislation. The West Virginia ads are part of a larger campaign being launched in states across the country represented by Senate Conferees on 911security legislation. Other Senators selected for the campaign are Lieberman (Conn.), Graham (Fla.) and Levin (Mich.). The ads feature Peter Gadiel, father of 911 World Trade Center victim, Jamie Gadiel. More ads are scheduled to launch today.

Both the House and Senate recently passed 911 bills, but there are major differences between the two. Senate and House Conferees are currently attempting to reconcile those differences with the goal of signing 911security legislation into law before election day. Conferees could complete negotiations as early as this weekend.

The 60-second radio commercials chastise the Senate for creating a 911 bill that ignores immigration specific reform recommendations of the 911 Commission.

Peter Gadiel remarked, "Many in the Senate are treating the 911 Commission Report as a work of fiction. If the Senate had no intention of listening to the recommendations, they should never have wasted the Commission's time or taxpayers' money. It's simply impossible to protect Americans from another 911 without implementing immigration security measures."

The commercials call attention to the fact that the House version of the 911 bill includes many important immigration protections and suggests Senators should keep the House immigration provisions in the final 911 bill.

The commercials conclude with Gadiel asking listeners to call their Senators and tell them to "keep House immigration protections in the 911 bill, so that more Americans don't end up like my son Jamie."

http://www.usnewswire.com

[elfman2]

" A new national counterterrorism center would coordinate the fight against foreign terrorists. "

Wasn’t the idea behind the new Homeland Security Department? Where's the delineation?

[-=Wing_0_Walker=-]

G-D I hope they are waking up down there! Perhaps Kerry will attend a few more meetings and Congress will fund the programs as they should have been all along!

[-=Wing_0_Walker=-]

Uhhoooh! DRUDGE:

Nov 20, 5:07 PM (ET)

By JESSE J. HOLLAND

(AP) Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., walks to a meeting to discuss the status of the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republicans on Saturday blocked passage of legislation addressing the Sept. 11 Commission's terror-fighting recommendations to President Bush, but GOP leaders said they would press the effort later this year.

[MissAmericanPie]

It certainly seem suspicious to me that this topic, which has been a big no no to mention, to the point that Tancredo was told to never darken the White House door, is out there being discussed openly and often now by the very people in this administration that made the topic taboo in the first place.

It cannot be that they suddenly woke up to the fact that any nuclear device can and probably has been snuck across our wide open borders. Not unless one or more devices are already here and are ready to be put in play. It seems to me that there in a sudden ongoing attempt by congress and members of this administration to cover their butts regarding the "possibility" here lately.

If this disaster happens it will be laid right at the door of the White House, Homeland Insecurity, and the congress. And no amount of new found concern is going to cover their deliberate complicity in it's event.

[Arizona Carolyn]

NumbersUSA has been all over this the past few days with a major phone-in campaign due to items tacked to the bill including Drivers Licenses for Illegal Aliens which Lieberman was pushing and almost pulled Hastert over to his side... this is the latest as of this afternoon:

http://www.numbersusa.com/index

Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004

Congress leaves town without passing 9/11 bill

Stripped of illegal immigration reforms

Under tremendous pressure from House Republicans angry at the gutting of anti-illegal-immigration provisions, the House Leadership declined to bring a watered-down 9/11 Response Bill to a vote before Congress left town for the Thanksgiving holiday.