Congress Passes Lean Intelligence Budget for 2012

Last month, Congress passed the Intelligence Authorization Act For The Fiscal Year 2012. The bill was passed in the house by an overwhelming 396 to 23. Details of the bill, which determines the budgets for the nation's 16 intelligence gathering agencies, are classified but according to Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Senator Dianne Feinstein, the legislation "keeps funding for intelligence essentially flat from fiscal year 2011" and that the intelligence budget approved was "a meaningful reduction from the President's request." In 2011, the budget of spy agencies was close to $80 billion. Associated Press is reporting that despite the lack of a budget increase that the administration was hoping for, no intelligence programs will be cut. Instead, reductions will be made to "big-ticket items like the multi-billion-dollar spy satellites".