Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett, who currently serves as a member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), released the following statement on her role and accomplishments within the committee during the 118th Congress:
“I am proud to be the first delegate from a U.S. territory ever to serve on HPSCI since its establishment over 45 years ago. I am also proud to be the top Democrat on HPSCI’s National Intelligence Enterprise Subcommittee, which oversees the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), FBI, and the intelligence offices within the Drug Enforcement Administration and the departments of State, Treasury, Energy and Homeland Security.
“Serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) is an honor and a weighty responsibility. The job of our committee is to conduct oversight of the U.S. intelligence community, which consists of 18 federal agencies—including the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“On behalf of the American people, we push the intelligence community to be both effective and ethical. We strive to ensure that the intelligence community is collecting and analyzing intelligence that helps the president and Congress make smart national security decisions that keep our country safe and free, support our allies and defend against our adversaries. We also seek to ensure that the intelligence community is conducting itself in a manner that comports with our Constitution, our laws and our values.
“HPSCI is unique for a few reasons:
First, HPSCI is a ‘select’ committee, meaning that members of the committee are personally selected by the Speaker (Mike Johnson) and House Minority Leader (Hakeem Jeffries) because of the consequential and sensitive nature of our work.
“Second, by necessity, much of the committee’s work is classified and must be conducted in secrecy. At the same time, we do write unclassified legislation and sometimes hold unclassified hearings that the public can watch.
“Third, committee members are encouraged and expected to travel overseas to meet with U.S. officials in the field and with foreign leaders, so we can learn firsthand about the challenges and opportunities that exist. I have made it a point to visit U.S. missions globally, especially in Africa. The travel is grueling, but it provides unique insights about U.S. policy priorities abroad.”
Congresswoman Plaskett also shared:
“In my nearly two years on the committee, I have placed special emphasis on a few key areas that I believe are of interest and concern to many of my constituents.
“First, I want the men and women who work in the intelligence community to be highly qualified and to reflect the remarkable diversity of our country.
“To that end, I wrote a provision—which I expect to become law this year—that will require intelligence community leaders to develop a strategy to increase the recruitment of qualified individuals residing in the USVI and the other four United States territories. Young Virgin Islanders have so much to contribute to our nation’s security, and the intelligence community needs to do more targeted outreach to our community and to draw upon the deep reservoir of talent that resides here.
“In addition, I championed legislative language requiring the FBI to examine why the empirical data indicates that Special Agents from Black and other minority communities have a higher rate of attrition than their counterparts. Armed with this information, the FBI will be well-positioned to take steps to rectify this problem—and I will make sure they do so.
“Second, I am very focused on national security and public safety threats emanating from the Caribbean region, whether that’s illegal drug and gun trafficking, the crisis in Haiti, or the often malign role played by Russia and China in our neighborhood.
“Specifically, I have strongly pushed the intelligence community to do more to support U.S. and international efforts to bring security and stability to the Haitian people, who deserve to live lives of dignity.
“I have also passed legislation requiring the intelligence community to enhance the level of support it is providing to broader U.S. government efforts to detect and interdict illicit firearms trafficking in the Caribbean region, which has led to unacceptable levels of homicides and other violent crimes.
“Moreover, working with my colleague Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger from Virginia, I required the intelligence community to report to Congress on efforts by China and Russia to increase their influence with countries in the Caribbean region in ways that undermine U.S. interests. That way, we can push back in a strong and smart way where it is appropriate.
“Third, I have taken great interest—and worked hard to develop expertise—in the serious security situation on the continent of Africa, especially West Africa.
“Countries in this region, and on the continent more generally, face complex threats from terrorism and from the malign influence of Russia and China, which jeopardize stability and increase the prospect for further democratic backsliding.
“Through my multiple oversight visits to West Africa, I have met with U.S. officials and local stakeholders alike to advocate for the United States to craft and carry out a comprehensive national security strategy toward Africa that is rooted in mutual respect and partnership to advance shared priorities.
“Finally, I have used my position on HPSCI to stay as informed as possible about the evolving security and humanitarian picture in Israel and Gaza. With the benefit of this information, I have been well-positioned to support diplomatic efforts by the Biden-Harris administration to free the hostages, bring the current violence to an end, surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza and rebuild its infrastructure—and, in the longer term, to create the conditions for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Editor’s note: Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett is the delegate-to-Congress representing the U.S. Virgin Islands.
