Where's my Reynolds Wrap hat?

For two years, Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee have voted to block an expensive technical intelligence program believed to be a system of new spy satellites. But the program continues to enjoy financing in hundreds of millions of dollars and the support of the House, the Bush administration, and Congressional appropriations committees.

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-V) has called the program "totally unjustified and very, very wasteful."

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) called it "unnecessary, ineffective, over budget and too expensive."

Although actual numbers remain classified by law, much of the program's budget is understood to cover the design, construction and operation of satellites and other platforms used to collect images, signals and other forms of technical intelligence.

Most Congressional and intelligence officials won't comment on the name, purpose, or cost of the program, but former officials who opposed the program said it would duplicate eavesdropping and reconnaissance capabilities already in existence or development.

A former Defense Department official stated, "This is something that does not pass muster and is indicative of the inability of intelligence agencies to prioritize or make decisions. There are billions of dollars of waste in the intelligence budget."

But authorization to continue financing the program was recently approved by the House and Senate's authorizing committees this week. Senators who refused to sign the compromise which led to the programs funding were Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Rockefeller, and Sen. Wyden.