Intelligence Authorization Bill Held Up by Spy Satellite Issue

The FY2010 authorization bill for the Intelligence Community (H.R. 2701/S. 1494) remains stuck as negotiators try to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions. One of the sticking points is competing proposals for the country’s spy satellites, according to Congress Daily (subscription required).

The bill is under a veto threat because of language concerning which Members of Congress must be notified about the most sensitive intelligence matters, but spy satellites are another bone of contention. As reported from their respective committees, the House version (H. Rept. 111-186) supported the Obama Administration’s proposal under which the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) would buy and launch new electro-optical intelligence satellites and buy more data from commercial imagery companies. The Senate version (S. Rept. 111-55) would have NRO buy more satellites that are cheaper and less sophisticated, a plan that critics call “untested and therefore riskier” according to Congress Daily.