WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the House passage of the Intelligence Authorization Act, which would strengthen and improve America's intelligence capabilities by increasing funding for human intelligence collection and counterintelligence activities. The bill passed in the House today by a vote of 235 to 168.

"The first responsibility of Members of Congress is to protect, defend, and preserve the security of the American people – whether through the might of our military, the power of our diplomacy, or the strength of our values. Central to upholding that duty is our nation's ability to collect, analyze, and disseminate accurate and actionable intelligence in a timely manner.

"The Intelligence Authorization Act strengthens and enhances America's intelligence capabilities, and improves congressional oversight of our intelligence agencies. It provides our intelligence community with the tools and resources to train more officers, expand language skills, strengthen cybersecurity efforts, and more effectively prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. In an age of terrorism and gathering threats across the globe, few actions could be more important than reinforcing the capacity of our intelligence personnel.

"With this legislation, Congress is ensuring we remain focused on our security without compromising our values. We are standing with the men and women of our intelligence community who put their lives on the line to keep America safe."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House