Introduction
The Congress plays a critical role in the running of a state by performing several functions. It is formed by members who are elected by people to represent them on matters about the making and passing of the laws of the state. It is mainly involved in the making and passing of the bills and budgets of a country. Therefore, it is evident that the Congress is a critical organ in the governing of a country. As a vital organ of the government, Congress ensures that the strategic intelligence of the country is controlled in the most appropriate way.
In the United States, the government cannot function without intelligence services. In the intelligence world, the most crucial role of the Congress is to oversee the activities of the intelligence community. It oversees the functions of the agencies to ensure that all the activities are conducted in accordance with the law. The term strategic intelligence refers to intelligence that is usually required by the policymakers during the time of making policies. Strategic intelligence is also used in the formulation of the decisions of the military at both the national and international level.
It is the role of the Congress to make sure that the intelligence agencies are funded appropriately and to ensure that the operations of the agencies are done according to the stipulated guidelines. Moreover, the Congress provides a full report and budget of the matters that have been investigated by the House. Majority of the roles of the Congress are done by the selected members of the Congress in a committee. The house has a great role in the cycle of intelligence because it formulates everything about the intelligence community.
The proper role of the Congress ought to be overseeing the functions of the agencies, and the process should be done in an affair and legitimate manner. The idea of oversight of the intelligence agencies arose when it was observed that the strategic intelligence needed to be catered in the appropriate manner. The idea was quite effective in 1975 and 1976 though, due to the advancement of technology and changes of time, the system has been affected. It is argued that the work of the intelligence community will be more complicated if the Congress continues viewing them the same way. Therefore, the intelligence community should be encouraged to improve its performance and allowed to expand its creativity and innovations.
Congress and the Budget Appropriation Policies of the Intelligence Community
The Congress ensures that the intelligence community follows all the policies stipulated down through investigating its accountability and authorizing all its appropriate processes. For instance, it is the work of the Congress to ensure that the funds allocated for strategic intelligence programs are utilized in the appropriate manner. Therefore, for the budgets to be approved by the Congress, then the intelligence community is supposed to comply with all the policies set by the Congress. It also ensures the compliance with budget policies, and when there is a case of abuse of intelligence or evidence of failure in the intelligence community, the Congress sets investigations to identify the cause, and proper corrections are done.
The other method used by Congress to ensure that the intelligence community follows the budget policies is through the Government Accountability Office. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the investigating arm of the Congress that is concerned with all the matters about funds required by the intelligence agencies. Among its main functions is the auditing of the activities of the intelligence community.
The Congress and the National Security of the People
In many cases, there is an overlap of the functions of the Congress and that of the executive. There is always competition between the executive and the legislative branches of the government. The overlap of the responsibilities tends to cause tensions, as every branch strives to accomplish its objectives by the use of its authority and powers. However, through congressional hearings, the Congress ensures that the executive performs the will of the people by enhancing national security.
The Congress also uses nominations to ensure that the executive branch has carried its roles and duties appropriately. The nominations are conducted by the president whereby he/she nominates the top leaders and the members of the intelligence community. Congress ensures that the executive carries out its functions and makes national security made available to the people, and this is through confirmation or rejection of the nominated members.
Conclusion
It is evident that the Congress plays a vital role in strategic intelligence, particularly as a supervisory body within the government. The constitution supports the functions of the Congress but in some cases, the Congress faces a lot of challenges from the executive in matters related to intelligence. Therefore, the role of each body in the government should be indicated so as to avoid creation of any tension among the various government bodies.
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