Spy policy bill to be included in omnibus

Legislation guiding policy for the nation’s 17 federal intelligence agencies was tucked into an omnibus spending bill released early on Wednesday morning.

The Intelligence Authorization Act sailed through the House earlier this month after lawmakers reached a compromise to win over Democratic votes. But the bill had yet to come up for a vote in the Senate. 

{mosads}Now, it will come to the floor as part of the sweeping $1.1 trillion omnibus spending package, which covers a wide swath of federal efforts.

The policy bill includes some restrictions on President Obama’s ability to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, which are similar to other restrictions in the annual defense policy bill that the president signed earlier this year.

It also places new limits on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a federal watchdog created to keep a check on the nation’s intelligence powers.

Under the new bill, the board is barred from reviewing “covert” efforts, such as the CIA’s drone program.

Supporters say the new measure ensures details of the program remain secret, but critics worry about the effect of hobbling the small privacy watchdog.  

Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, warned that the provision “would strip the board of the ability to gather information necessary to oversee surveillance programs.”

“Given our recent history, members of Congress should focus on improving oversight and accountability of NSA [National Security Agency] surveillance, not reducing what little exists,” she added in a statement.

— Updated at 12:58 p.m.