House Intelligence Committee Passes FY2026 Intelligence Authorization Act Out of Committee Focuses the Intelligence Community on its no-fail mission, eliminating distractions
WASHINGTON, D.C— Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence passed the fiscal year 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) out of Committee, sending it to the House of Representatives’ floor for passage.
This year’s IAA will authorize intelligence community (IC) activities for the next fiscal year, with a specific focus on making the IC work effectively and efficiently for the American people in an effort to rebuild trust. This legislation delivers on President Trump’s agenda by taking bold, unprecedented steps to return the IC to its high-stakes mission, void of any bias that would harm the analytic objectivity and integrity of the IC’s work.
“In the past, the IAA has often been a rubber stamp for the IC and the status quo,” said Chairman Crawford. “This legislation is full of good policy that works to eliminate distractions and directs the IC to focus on its no-fail mission. As we mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks this week, we remember the cost of failing to connect the dots. Our adversaries continue to join forces, evolving their tactics and strategies with one mission in mind: to unseat the United States as a global power through any means necessary. We want an IC that encourages the best and brightest our nation has to offer to step forward and serve. I am very proud of the work the Committee did in this year’s IAA.”
Notably, the FY2026 IAA includes measures to:
Tackle long-overdue reform of the United States Counterintelligence (CI) enterprise by modernizing and optimizing the CI enterprise to be more agile and responsive to strategic foreign intelligence threats. It will advance important realignments within the CI enterprise and ensure all IC entities are engaged in the National-level Strategic Counterintelligence mission.
Create transparency with Congress in FBI investigations by requiring the FBI to provide Congressional notification when they initiate a counterintelligence assessment or investigation into a candidate for or holder of a federal office.
Bolster analytic integrity within the IC, by taking steps to prevent politicization and weaponization while enforcing objectivity standards.
Eliminate unnecessary reporting requirements that burden IC components, redirecting valuable manpower from the mission set.
Expedite the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Intelligence Community and improve security measures on these systems.
Support the IC’s greater emphasis on utilizing Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), while eliminating duplicative purchases of Publicly Available Information (PAI) and Commercially Available Information (CAI).
Support the creation of a standardized training curriculum related to the collection and use of PAI and CAI to establish a universally recognized training curriculum across the IC to help mature the discipline as a core mission in the IC.
Ensure IC entities responsibly purge CAI and PAI pertaining to U.S. persons' information incidentally gathered.
Strengthen the hardening of key networks from cyber intrusions and increase cybersecurity coordination across the IC and with the private sector.
Provide a focus on prevention and response efforts to growing biothreats.
Ensure continuity of care for U.S. veterans who continue their service in the IC.
Protect key intelligence facilities and assets by providing counter-UAS authorities to the CIA.
Aggressively push the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to achieve a clean audit and accounting of taxpayer funds by the end of FY2026.
Improve opportunities for training and development of exquisite skill sets, key to providing advanced geospatial intelligence.
Implement an information-sharing system to enhance coordination between law enforcement and foreign intelligence partners to combat the Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) threat.
