§3510 — Title 50 War and National Defense | U.S. Code

Summary

The Agency may use money it gets from Congress or other sources to do what it needs to do its job. That includes paying staff and rent, running health programs, paying certain death benefits, hiring reporters, buying or renting equipment (like cameras, radios, printers, and cryptographic gear), owning and operating cars, planes, and boats, transporting staff (including taking children to school at isolated overseas posts), printing, buying and keeping firearms and ammunition, paying travel for useful meetings, paying dues and library costs, buying surety bonds, settling claims, buying and clearing land, building and fixing facilities, and buying supplies, equipment, and contract services when the Director approves. The Agency can spend these funds without following normal federal spending rules. For secret, unusual, or emergency spending, the Director’s signed certificate is the only voucher needed. If the Director makes a novel and significant expenditure, the Director must notify the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Defense of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the House Appropriations Committee within 30 days. Not later than 180 days after December 18, 2025, the Director must issue written rules defining "novel and significant expenditure," set internal review steps, and require timely notice to Congress. The Director must keep those rules updated and brief the same committees within 60 days after the first rules and within 60 days after any major changes.

Title 50, §3510

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, sums made available to the Agency by appropriation or otherwise may be expended for purposes necessary to carry out its functions, including—

(1)personal services, including personal services without regard to limitations on types of persons to be employed, and rent at the seat of government and elsewhere; health-service program as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 7901); payment of death benefits in cases in which the circumstances of the death of an employee of the Agency, a detailee of the Agency or other employee of another department or agency of the Federal Government assigned to the Agency, or an individual affiliated with the Agency (as determined by the Director), is not covered by section 3511 of this title, other similar provisions of Federal law, or any regulation issued by the Director providing death benefits, but that the Director determines such payment appropriate; rental of news-reporting services; purchase or rental and operation of photographic, reproduction, cryptographic, duplication, and printing machines, equipment, and devices, and radio-receiving and radio-sending equipment and devices, including telegraph and teletype equipment; purchase, maintenance, operation, repair, and hire of passenger motor vehicles, and aircraft, and vessels of all kinds; subject to policies established by the Director, transportation of officers and employees of the Agency in Government-owned automotive equipment between their domiciles and places of employment, where such personnel are engaged in work which makes such transportation necessary, and transportation in such equipment, to and from school, of children of Agency personnel who have quarters for themselves and their families at isolated stations outside the continental United States where adequate public or private transportation is not available; printing and binding; purchase, maintenance, and cleaning of firearms, including purchase, storage, and maintenance of ammunition; subject to policies established by the Director, expenses of travel in connection with, and expenses incident to attendance at meetings of professional, technical, scientific, and other similar organizations when such attendance would be a benefit in the conduct of the work of the Agency; association and library dues; payment of premiums or costs of surety bonds for officers or employees without regard to the provisions of section 14 11 See References in Text note below. of title 6; payment of claims pursuant to title 28; acquisition of necessary land and the clearing of such land; construction of buildings and facilities without regard to 36 Stat. 699; 40 U.S.C. 259, 267; 1 repair, rental, operation, and maintenance of buildings, utilities, facilities, and appurtenances; and

(2)supplies, equipment, and personnel and contractual services otherwise authorized by law and regulations, when approved by the Director.

(b)The sums made available to the Agency may be expended without regard to the provisions of law and regulations relating to the expenditure of Government funds; and for objects of a confidential, extraordinary, or emergency nature, such expenditures to be accounted for solely on the certificate of the Director and every such certificate shall be deemed a sufficient voucher for the amount therein certified.

(c)(1)Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Director makes a novel and significant expenditure pursuant to subsection (a), the Director shall notify the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives of such expenditure.

(2)(A)Not later than 180 days after December 18, 2025, the Director shall issue written guidance to ensure the timely identification and reporting of novel and significant expenditures in accordance with this subsection. Such guidance shall—

(i)establish a definition of a novel and significant expenditure for purposes of this subsection;

(ii)define internal procedures to evaluate expenditures to determine if such expenditures are novel and significant using the definition established pursuant to clause (i); and

(iii)require timely congressional notification in accordance with this subsection.

(B)The Director shall regularly review and update the guidance issued under this paragraph as appropriate.

(C)Not later than 60 days after the date on which the initial guidance is issued under this paragraph, and not later than 60 days after the date on which any material revisions to such guidance take effect, the Director shall provide to the committees specified in paragraph (1) a briefing with respect to such guidance or such material revisions.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 14 of title 6, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), was repealed by Pub. L. 93–310, title II, § 203(1),

June 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 202. The reference to 36 Stat. 699; 40 U.S.C. 259, 267, in subsec. (a)(1), was probably meant to be a reference to section 3734 of the Revised Statutes. section 33 of act

June 25, 1910, ch. 383, which appears at 36 Stat. 699, amended generally section 3734 of the Revised Statutes which was classified to section 259 and 267 of former Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works. section 3734 of the Revised Statutes was subsequently repealed by Pub. L. 86–249, § 17(12), Sept. 9, 1959, 73 Stat. 485. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 403j of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section. In subsec. (a)(1), “(5 U.S.C. 7901)” substituted for “(5 U.S.C. 150)” on authority of Pub. L. 89–554, § 7(b), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 631, the first section of which enacted Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 8 of act June 20, 1949, was renumbered section 7 and is classified to section 3508 of this title.

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 119–60 designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2). 2022—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–263 added subsec. (c). 2019—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 116–92 inserted “payment of death benefits in cases in which the circumstances of the death of an employee of the Agency, a detailee of the Agency or other employee of another department or agency of the Federal Government assigned to the Agency, or an individual affiliated with the Agency (as determined by the Director), is not covered by section 3511 of this title, other similar provisions of Federal law, or any regulation issued by the Director providing death benefits, but that the Director determines such payment appropriate;” before “rental of”.

§3510 Appropriations