Schiff Tapped to Serve on House Select Intelligence Committee

Committee to oversee investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes

Washington, DC – At a time when the House Intelligence Committee is engaged in critical work to improve intelligence gathering activities and undergoing a high profile investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) late yesterday appointed Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.  Since his election to Congress, Rep. Schiff has advanced efforts to ensure the safety of all Americans by working to improve our intelligence gathering, implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, and working to revamp the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.  

“I am grateful for the trust Speaker Pelosi has placed in me by appointing me to the Intelligence Committee, and I am looking forward to expanding on the intelligence work I have been doing thus far,” Schiff said. 

In 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appointed Congressman Schiff to the new House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.  This panel, which establishes the budget for the intelligence agencies, was formed in response to 9/11 Commission recommendations that there be more comprehensive oversight of the intelligence agencies’ mission, capability, coordination and budget. The panel works with the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee on intelligence funding, with the goal of strengthening the collaboration between those with direct oversight of the intelligence agencies and those who control the funding.

“With ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and with Al Qaeda as much of a threat as ever, there is no greater priority than ensuring that our intelligence agencies have the resources they need and are operating within the law and with maximum effectiveness,” Schiff stated.  

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence drafts the laws that govern the intelligence agencies operations. The committee is also responsible for overseeing the 16 agencies that comprise the intelligence community, which include components of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State and Energy.

Rep. Schiff is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and is a member of its Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, and Financial Services Subcommittee.  He also serves on the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. He represents California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.