October 2, 2000
(Senate)
The Administration supports the manager's amendment and a number of other amendments. In particular, the inclusion of Senator Moynihan's amendment on declassification for the public interest would be a meaningful step toward even greater progress in declassification. Moreover, the amendment provides for an effective process to advise on priorities for declassification, as opposed to limited scope declassification bills. While the Administration has concerns with the Committee-reported Section 503 concerning personnel management, these concerns appear to be addressed in Senator Warner's amendment.
While S. 2507 does not direct a specific change to existing practices, the Administration is opposed to efforts by the Congress to mandate the management, operations, and security procedures for diplomatic telecommunications. The Administration is working diligently to resolve any outstanding problems with diplomatic telecommunications. Any such provisions would be counterproductive to this effort.