Senate passes Intelligence appropriations bill

The Senate passed the Intelligence authorization bill the same day a report came out on the CIA’s use of torture.

H.R. 4681, the Intelligence Authorization Act, funds intelligence agency programs for 2014 and 2015.

{mosads}Because of the classified nature of intelligence programs, details on the appropriations bill are limited. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the two-year measure would cost roughly $1 billion.

The Senate passed the measure by voice-vote on the same day the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report saying the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) tortured detainees and lied to Congress and the public about its activities.

The House passed H.R. 4681 on a 345-59 vote in May, but because the Senate added an amendment from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) the measure will go back to the House for further action.

The Senate also passed H.R. 1067, which makes technical corrections to the formatting of chapter headings and subtitles. And H.R. 4199, which names the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Waco, Texas, as the “Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.”