DNI Clapper Backs Cruz: Fund Intelligence Services Piecemeal

In consonance with the Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) strategy of funding the government piecemeal and forcing the Senate to vote up or down on specific funding for specific branches of the federal government, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Wednesday endorsed the notion of standalone funding for the intelligence services.

Citing Congress’ movement on funding the Defense Department in standalone fashion, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) asked Clapper, “Have you recommended to the President that he recommend to the Congress that we do something similar for the intelligence services? If this is, as you put it, a dream land for our enemy here, wouldn’t that be appropriate?” Clapper answered, “I certainly think it would be. And, of course, the support to the military particularly in the case of DOD involves three combat support agencies, one of which is NSA, who are although funded in the national intelligence program, are providing support to military day in and day out, so I would be a strong supporter.”

Sen. Cruz followed up: “I don’t believe President Obama should be playing politics with this. He shouldn’t be refusing to negotiate or compromise. He should be stepping forward to correct this problem right now….If God forbid we see an attack on the United States because the intelligence community was not adequately funded, every member of the committee would be horrified. So I hope that issues of partisan politics can be set aside and we can all come together and pass right now, by the end of the day, a continuing resolution to fully fund the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. I hope President Obama, I hope Majority Leader Harry Reid hear and respond to the candid and heart felt recommendation, Director Clapper, that you presented here today.”

Watch Senator Cruz’s comment below:

Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013).