Congress and the Intelligence Community

The purpose of Congress and the Intelligence Community is to provide a first-hand understanding not only of congressional process and procedure, but also the “culture” that is the United States Congress. Over the four days, participants will hear from- and be afforded the opportunity to ask questions of- Members of Congress, congressional staff, academic observers, interest groups representatives, and news media representatives. Special attention will be paid to how Congress interacts with the intelligence community. Each four-day course is conducted entirely on Capitol Hill.

Participants will receive briefings specifically tailored for the intelligence community on the current status of legislative issues of most interest and importance to IC officials, both in the authorization and appropriations process.

Topics covered may include:

• leadership and organization in Congress
• key stages in the authorization process
• the budget and appropriations process
• committee and floor procedure
• the roles of committee and personal staff
• congressional oversight
• the influence of the media and special interests
• the politics of the legislative process
• the House and Senate Intelligence committees

Participants will also attend committee hearings and/or observe floor action when Congress is in session.

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The target audience of this event is civilian and uniformed employees (GS-11 and above and uniformed equivalent) from any U.S. federal government department or agency with an interest in the intelligence area. Enrollment in this course is restricted to U.S. government personnel.

Keywords: strategy, Capitol Hill