Cleared Congressional Round-Up: The week’s latest from Congress on legislation, hearings and oversight affecting those in the cleared world
No Government Shutdown, For Now
Congress passed a massive $1.1 trillion appropriations bill to fund the government through October 2014.
In addition to funding 12 government agencies, including the Pentagon, the bill provides several key measures:
- Provides DOD with $93 Billion for New Weapons: The procurement amount is nearly $7 billion less than last year. Read more about procurement numbers.
- Reduces the VA Disability Backlog: The VA receives $100 million to reduce the amount of time it takes to process disability compensation claims.
- Restores Some Military Pensions: Disabled military veterans will have cuts to their pensions restored. The cuts were a result of last year’s budget deal. Other veterans will have to wait, though. Further budget deal pension changes will be reviewed by the Senate Armed Services Committee later this year.
- Keeps Drone Program under CIA: The bill blocks the Department of Defense from taking over the country’s drone program, which is currently operated by the CIA.
Senator Feinstein: Drone was Inches From My Face
During a Senate hearing Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) claimed she peered out her window one day to spot a drone looking back at her.
“Obviously the pilot of the drone had some surprise because the drone wheeled around and crashed, so I felt a little good about that,” the senator added.
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation examined the growth of unmanned aerial systems (“drones”) in the U.S., including a scrutinizing look at the reauthorization to integrate civil unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace by 2015. Read more.
DHS Cybersecurity Legislation Advances
Congress is promising to engage private industry in its increased efforts to prevent digital attacks from China, Russia and Iran.
The National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013 (known as the “NCCIP Act”) was passed by a House Homeland Security subcommittee, and now proceeds to full committee. The bill provides a host of recommendations for bolstering digital infrastructure at the Department of Homeland Security.
Read a breakdown of the NCCIP Act.
