The top U.S. intelligence officer has asked Congress to drop a provision in a bill that would create a special committee to combat Russian efforts to exert covert influence abroad, saying such a panel would duplicate current work and hinder cooperation with foreign allies.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper laid out the objections of the U.S. intelligence community in a Sept. 9 letter to the chairmen and top Democrats on the intelligence committees in the House of Representatives and Senate. He charged that parts of the bill amounted to "micromanagement" of the intelligence community.

The intelligence bill, an annual measure that provides broad congressional authorization for a wide range of U.S. intelligence activities and agencies, has already been approved by both intelligence committees and the House of Representatives. Backers in the Senate are marshalling support for the bill in the hope it will be approved in the coming week, an official familiar with the matter said.