Strategic intelligence is a critical tool used by lawmakers to evaluate U.S. national/international policies. The proper role of Congress in strategic intelligence should be as follows: managing the budget, overseeing strategic intelligence activities, and ensuring compliance with the laws to protect the people of the United States. Congress depends on the intelligence community for information and support. While intelligence agencies depend on Congress for adequate funding for their missions, projects, programs, and research, Congress plays a vital role in overseeing strategic intelligence. This essentially brought intelligence agencies into the democracy that this country is based on. Congress can basically make sure that the intelligence community is doing its job and make sure that it doesn't abuse its powers. Congress and intelligence agencies are off to a rocky start. Early on, the Secret Service conducted several operations that Congress never learned about. Intelligence agencies have conducted both legal and illegal operations for numerous years. However, the Watergate scandal was the pinnacle of events that occurred and out of that emerged the congressional organizations. Instead of meeting with Congress, they created their own special committee to conduct an investigation into domestic and foreign intelligence. The Church and Pike committee conducted their own investigation into the CIA and both of their findings were “…found evidence of spying on American citizens, illegal wiretaps, and cover-ups. Accordingly, Senate Resolution 400 in 1976 and House Resolution 658 in 1977 established the intelligence committees to prevent future abuses of power and maintain... half the paper... Congress can now and will continue to develop support together. There will be obstacles along the way, but in the end they are both better for it. The correct role in overseeing strategic intelligence activities should be to continue to ensure that it does not violate any rights or abuses of power. Works Cited Erwin, Marshall C., and Amy Belasco. “Intelligence Spending and Appropriations: Issues for Congress.” Congressional Research Service. Np, September 18, 2013. Web. February 16, 2014. Rosenbach, Eric. ""Congressional Oversight of the Intelligence Community"" Congressional Oversight of the Intelligence Community. Belfer Center, July 2009. Web. 16 February. 2014. .