[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1422-E1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

FBI MAKING PROGRESS ADAPTING TO NEW ROLE, BUT MORE NEEDS TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED

______

HON. FRANK R. WOLF

of virginia

in the house of representatives

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I held a news conference today to provide an
update on actions taken by the Science-State-Justice-Commerce, SSJC,
Appropriations subcommittee, which I chair, in assisting the FBI in its
transformation efforts since the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001.
I submit for the record my press statement as well as a white paper
which outlines in detail the SSJC subcommittee's work:

Press Statement

(By Representative Frank R. Wolf)

Good morning. Thank you for coming.
As chairman of the subcommittee with oversight of the FBI,
I wanted to provide you with an update of the Science-State-
Judiciary-Commerce subcommittee's role in the transformation
of the FBI since 9/11 now that our bill has cleared the
House.
9/11 changed America forever. Terrorism is no longer just
something you read about happening somewhere else in the
world. Terrorism came to our shores on 9/11. Everyone always
will remember where they were and what they were doing on 9/
11. More than 30 people from my congressional district were
killed on 9/11; the pilot of the plane flown into the
Pentagon lived just a short distance from my house.
Sadly, several more of my constituents have made the
ultimate sacrifice fighting the war on terror. The servicemen
and women from across the country serving in harm's way in
Afghanistan and Iraq deserve our deepest gratitude. They are
doing an incredible job.
It is also important that we recognize those people
protecting us here at home. The FBI along with other federal,
state and local law enforcement agencies are doing good work
to ensure that terrorists don't strike again on American
soil. They all have tough jobs and are all making great
sacrifices.
I have the highest respect for the thousands of FBI agents
serving their country. I know many of them. They are
extremely dedicated and work incredibly long hours to protect
our country and their fellow citizens. The price they and
their families are paying is enormous.
Prior 9/11, the FBI's primary charge was solving crimes.
Now, preventing crimes--more specifically, acts of
terrorism--is priority one. This is a monumental shift, and
runs counter to everything almost every FBI agent in the past
was trained to do.

[[Page E1423]]

While the FBI is making progress adapting to its new role,
it also has made some missteps. Director Mueller deserves a
lot of the credit for the changes that already have been made
at the bureau. He also would be the first to admit there
is still a long way to go.
Change is never easy. We all resist it. But the changes
being asked of the FBI are critical to the safety of every
American.
Some believe an MI-5 approach would be better. But both the
9/11 Commission and the WMD Commission recommended against
implementing such a plan. The Bush Administration also is
opposed to the idea. That debate is over. It's time to move
forward.
The task at hand is not easy, and I know FBI agents are
working round-the-clock--and around the globe--to ensure our
safety. We have to remember that transforming the FBI is an
ongoing process, and is not going to happen overnight.
I take my role as chairman of the SSJC subcommittee very
seriously. I have worked hard to learn everything I can about
the FBI and the other law enforcement agencies under the
jurisdiction of the subcommittee. I am also deeply committed
to ensuring that Congress provide the proper--and necessary--
oversight of the transformation of the bureau.
I, and the subcommittee staff--both majority and minority--
have spent countless hours with Director Mueller and the
leadership of the FBI over the last 3\1/2\ years. We have
pushed the bureau, the Justice Department and the Bush
Administration to do the very best job possible--and more.
As you will recall, it was the SSJC subcommittee that asked
for the full House Appropriations Committee's Surveys and
Investigations staff to study the failure of the bureau's
Virtual Case Files program, including the FBI's contracting
procedures and management procedures related to the computer
system.
When Director Mueller began submitting his plans to
reorganize the bureau in the spring of 2002, I wanted to be
confident that the path being pursued was the correct one.
Toward that end, I put together what I call the ``FBI
Transformation Task Force'' Made up of staff from the
Government Accountability Office, the National Academy of
Public Administration, the Congressional Research Service,
the FBI, the Justice Department and majority and minority
staff of the House Appropriations Committee, the task force
regularly reviews the bureau's progress.
We also have consulted with staff from both the 9/11
Commission and WMD Commission as well as staff from the
Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General.
In June of 2002, the subcommittee held the first of what
have now become annual hearings to review the FBI's
restructuring. Director Mueller testified at that first
hearing and appeared again in 2003 and 2004. This year's
hearing is slated for September.
These hearings are different from the annual budget
hearings held each spring where agency heads come up to the
Hill and layout their spending priorities. These hearings
have focused solely on the transformation of the bureau. The
assessments of task force members such as GAO's David Walker
and NAPA's Dick Thornburgh--the attorney general under
President George H. W. Bush--have been candid and often
times pointed.
Not only has the task force served as a ``review'' board
for the FBI, it has developed a number of proposals that
ultimately have been incorporated into the annual spending
bills that fund the bureau. I should note that the
subcommittee has provided the bureau with a significant
increase in funding, from $3.2 billion in FY 2001 to $5.2
billion in FY 2005, to help meet the new challenges it faces.
That is an increase of 61 percent.
Attached to the copy of my remarks you have is a white
paper that breakdown the FBI changes by categories--such as
``Organizational Change,'' ``Training,'' and ``Interagency
Counterterrorism Task Forces''--to help you better grasp the
scope and breadth of these reforms. I won't go through every
one of the reforms listed on the white paper, but I do want
to highlight some, such as:
Creating a Directorate of Intelligence (Service-within-a-
Service) to specifically focus on intelligence analysis;
Funding a portion of the National Counterterrorism Center
to bring agencies from throughout the government to work
together to combat terrorism;
Creating the Science and Technology Advisory Board made up
of former senior-level intelligence and DOD staff to provide
independent advice to the director on emerging issues;
Among the members of the advisory board:
Arthur Money, former assistant secretary of defense for
command, control, communications and intelligence and DOD's
former chief information officer.
Craig Fields, former chairman of the Defense Science Board.
John Hamre, president of CSIS and former deputy secretary
of defense.
Providing new personnel authorities and increased funding
to attract and retain agents, analysts and support staff;
Mandating joint training between agents and analysts and
with other members of the intelligence community;
Transferring more than 500 agents from working drug cases
to terrorism;
Creating the College of Analytical Studies to train
intelligence analysts;
Enhancing the FBI's capability to communicate classified
information with the intelligence community and state and
local law enforcement;
Increasing the number of translators by 79 percent,
including a 269 percent increase in Arabic translators from
the levels funded in fiscal year 2001;
Creating the University Education Program, the Sabbatical
Program, and the Fellows Program to enhance opportunities for
employees to receive advanced degrees, and
Changing the FBI's budget structure to match its new
mission.
There are more reforms proposed in the FY 2006 bill, which
the House approved on June 16.
Among them:
The creation of an associate deputy director for national
security to oversee and coordinate the activities of the
executive assistant director for counterterrorism and
counterintelligence and the national security activities of
the Directorate of Intelligence, as recommended by the WMD
Commission and accepted by President Bush yesterday.
The FY 2006 bill also requires the U.S. attorney general to
submit a report to the subcommittee on its actions to
implement the recommendations of the WMD Commission.
I should note that in a recent speech before the First
Circuit Judicial Conference, Judge Silberman, the co-chair of
the WMD Commission, clearly advocated the need for the
attorney general to exercise more authority over the FBI.
As former deputy attorney general himself, Judge Silberman
told the conference ``attorneys general in my view have
exercised far too little management supervision over the
bureau. I actually think the DNI's (Director of National
Intelligence) influence will enable the attorney general to
have greater visibility into the bureau's operations.'' I
agree that the attorney general has to be seriously engaged
in the transformation of the FBI.
In addition, the bill provides the FBI with additional
resources to improve information technology oversight and
program management and requires the DOJ inspector general to
provide regular reports to the subcommittee on the FBI's
progress in replacing its case management system.
I wanted to take this opportunity to point out what is
happening at the FBI because sometimes the `good' things are
not considered news and are often overlooked. I think that
once you look at the attached white paper you will agree that
a great number of positive, forward-leaning steps are being
taken at the FBI.
Yet, more still needs to be accomplished. Some other ideas
that should be considered:
Creating a DARPA-like organization for the FBI.
Creating a Chief Operating Officer who would be responsible
for overseeing the day-to-day management of the FBI, thereby
freeing up the director and deputy director to focus on
investigations and long-term strategic management issues.
This is one of the recommendations of the Science and
Technology Advisory Board.
Pushing to expand the FBI's ``bench'' when it comes to
information technology.
The Science and Technology Advisory Board believes the FBI
is making progress but can go even further if it has the
ability to go after the best and the brightest and provide
them the same career opportunities as other branches in the
bureau.
The FY 2006 House-passed bill provides a $17 million
increase for this, which is $10 million above the request.
Change is not going to happen overnight nor will it be
totally embraced by every agent in the field. It is going to
take time. Unfortunately, time is not completely on our side.
That is why the subcommittee pushes so hard and is why we
continue to have these annual `review' hearings.
I am committed to working to make the FBI better. This is
all part of a process. It's long and it's involved. Strides
have been made, but more still needs to be done. With the
action of the subcommittee, the 9/11 Commission, the WMD
Commission and the White House's recent decision to embrace
nearly all of the recommendations of the WMD Commission, the
key will be having the commitment to carry this out.
Thank you.
____

White Paper--FBI Transformation Since
9/11

Since 9/11, the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce (SSJC)
Appropriations subcommittee has worked with a number of
groups and organizations, including the National Academy of
Public Administration (NAPA), the Government Accountability
Office, the Congressional Research Service, the 9/11
Commission, the WMD Commission and the Justice Department's
Office of the Inspector General, to review the FBI's plans to
transform itself from an organization that solves crimes into
one which prevents crimes.
Below is a listing of steps the SSJC has taken to assist in
the FBI's transformation:

Funding

Provided the FBI with a 61 percent funding increase between
FY 2001 and FY 2005.
FY 2001 funding: $3.2 billion.
FY 2005 funding: $5.2 billion.
FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $5.7 billion.

Organizational Change

Approved the transfer of more than 500 agents from drugs to
terrorism.

[[Page E1424]]

Created the Directorate of Intelligence (Service-within-a-
Service) to exclusively focus on intelligence.
The FY 2006 bill creates an associate deputy director for
national security to oversee and coordinate the activities of
the executive assistant director for counterterrorism and
counterintelligence and the national security activities of
the Directorate of Intelligence, as recommended by the WMD
Commission and accepted by President Bush yesterday.
The FY 2006 bill requires the U.S. attorney general to
submit a report to the subcommittee on its actions to
implement the recommendations of WMD Commission.
Created the Science and Technology Advisory Board to
provide independent advice to the director on emerging
issues.

interagency Counterterrorism Task Forces

The SSJC subcommittee approved and funds:
103 Joint Terrorism Task forces.
National Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Participation in the National Counter
terrorism Center.
Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force.
Terrorist Screening Center.

Training

Created an FBI training program at Northwestern's Kellogg
School of Management.
Created the College of Analytical Studies to focus on
analytical training.
Continued to fund training programs above the level
requested.
FY 2005 funding: $10 million above the budget request. ($85
million)
FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $10 million above the
budget request. ($102 million)
Fully funded requests to renovate Quantico, the FBI's
training facility.
FY 2005 funding: $21 million.
FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $15 million.
The FY 2006 House-passed bill:
Directs the FBI to work with NAPA to improve training
programs for first-line supervisors, mid-level managers and
executives.
Directs the FBI to create a management succession plan.
Directs the FBI to ensure that analysts and agents train
together and that the FBI conduct joint training sessions
with other intelligence community agencies.
Directs the FBI to expand the University Education Program,
the Sabbatical Program, the Fellows Program and the use of
the Foreign Service Institute.
Directs the FBI to develop experienced FBI employees to
teach analytical classes at the College of Analytical Studies
instead of depending on contractors and personnel from other
agencies.

Information Technology

Directed the full House Appropriations Committee's Surveys
and Investigations staff to study the FBI's failure to
implement a new case management system.
Increased funding above the request to improve information
technology management FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $10
million above the budget request. ($21 million)
Increased funding to improve access to information and
information sharing.
FY 2005 funding: $12 million. ($13.5 million)
FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $11 million above the
budget request. ($54 million)
Funded the bureau's new Integrated Data Warehouse project
to data mine counterterrorism data to find terrorism
connections.
Provided funding above the request for additional secure
space to enhance the sharing of classified information within
the intelligence community.
FY 2005 funding: $20.5 above the budget request. ($20.5
million)
FY 2006 funding: $5 million above the budget request.
($25.5 million)
The FY 2006 bill requires the inspector general to provide
the subcommittee with regular updates on the status of the
bureau's replacement case management system.

Language Translation

Increased the number of translators by 79 percent,
including a 269 percent increase in Arabic translators from
the levels funded in fiscal year 2001.
Created the National Virtual Translation Center to work
with other members of the intelligence community to address
translation priorities.

Retention and Recruitment

Provided report language for retention and relocation
bonuses, critical pay exemptions for intelligence staff (more
than $175,000 per year) authority to create an FBI Reserve
Service and additional authority to waive mandatory
retirements.
Provided funding to implement retention and recruitment
programs.
FY 2005 funding: $30 million above the budget request. ($30
million)
FY 2006 funding (House-passed): $5 million above the budget
request. ($35 million)
Directed the FBI to work with NAPA to ensure that new
personnel authorities provided to attract and retain staff in
FY 2005 are effectively utilized.

Administrative Staff

Recognized that analysts are required to perform too many
administrative tasks and directed the FBI to focus its hiring
efforts on filling vacant administrative and support staff.
The FY 2006 bill provides $5 million above the request for
additional administrative staff.

Human Resources

The FY 2006 bill directs the FBI to establish an Office of
Human Resources to be tasked with, at a minimum, (1) ensuring
that employee rating systems match the FBI's priorities
including intelligence and security; (2) ensuring the number
of pay authorities and funding provided to attract and retain
staff are used effectively; (3) developing leadership and
succession planning programs, and (4) considering ways to
give field offices more flexibility in hiring administrative
staff.

____________________