Why Are the Intelligence Budgets a State Secret? You can dig all you want through the trillion-dollar spending bill just approved by Congress and still not learn how much the country is spending on each of the intelligence agencies. That's because those amounts are a state secret, and nowhere in President Obama's call for greater oversight and transparency on Friday did he propose changing that status. That was a missed opportunity. Not only do taxpayers not know where their money is going, or whether it is well spent, but most members of Congress don't know, either. The amounts are closely confined to a few lawmakers who have the right security clearances. There is no public debate about the budgets, and no opportunity for outside groups or experts to weigh in. As the 9/11 Commission report said, "when even aggregate categorical numbers remain hidden, it is hard to judge priorities and foster accountability." A growing number of lawmakers, however, are starting to bridle at these restrictions. This week, a bipartisan group of more than 25 House members, ranging from high-ranking Democrats to Tea Party stalwarts, introduced a bill that would disclose the overall spending levels at the 16 agencies that perform intelligence work. That includes the C.I.A., the N.S.A., and the various defense intelligence offices, along with the F.B.I. and a few cabinet departments. One of the lead sponsors, Peter Welch of Vermont, said the combination of unlimited money and non-existent oversight was dangerous. "It's led to dubious policies, wasted money and questionable effectiveness," he said in a statement. Requiring the public disclosure of top-line intelligence spending is an essential first step in assuring that our taxpayers and our national security interests are well served. The government does reveal the overall amount spent on intelligence ($52.6 billion) but what little we know about the breakdown of the current "black budget" was revealed by Edward Snowden and published in the Washington Post in August. It showed a huge infusion of resources after the 2001 attacks, most of which has gone to the C.I.A. ($14.7 billion last year) and the N.S.A. ($10.8 billion). The third-highest budget went to an agency most Americans have never heard of: the National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and operates spy satellites and cost $10.3 billion last year, almost as much as the N.S.A. The president should add these spending numbers to his transparency agenda. If he doesn't, Congress could very well do it for him.