OMB opposes IC congressional reporting requirements

The White House Office of Management and Budget is objecting to a requirement in the House Select Intelligence Committee's version of the fiscal year 2019 intelligence policy bill that would require the intelligence community's chief financial officer and chief information officer to report directly to the director of national intelligence.

"As briefed to the committee, the DNI and Principal Deputy DNI are implementing an ODNI transformation plan that will leverage a leadership structure based on deputy directors," according to a July 11 statement of administration policy. "Specifically, ODNI's transformation will improve the collaboration and efficiency of five components that focus strategically on the IC's resources, workforce, systems, technology, and infrastructure by bringing them together under a deputy director for enterprise capacity.

"If ODNI is required to use a separate reporting process for two out of the five components, it will erode the purpose of the reorganized structure," OMB continues. "Within the reorganized structure, these two positions will continue to serve their statutory roles as the DNI's principal advisers within their areas of expertise. As such, they will continue to have direct access to the DNI and principal deputy DNI to execute these responsibilities."

Read the full statement of administration policy.