Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Torres, for introducing this very important bill. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair and cofounder of the Congressional PORTS Caucus and also as a representative of the busiest port complex in the Nation, I have long advocated for much-needed cybersecurity at our Nation's ports. In 2013, a report by the Brookings Institution found that there is a serious cybersecurity gap at many of our Nation's ports, putting them at risk for an attack. A significant cyber attack at one of our major ports could bring commerce in an entire region to a halt and send shock waves throughout the national and global economies. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, but unfortunately, we do not have a clear picture of where cybersecurity vulnerabilities exist at our ports. Earlier this year, the House passed my amendment to instruct the Department of Homeland Security to identify gaps in cybersecurity at the Nation's 10 most at-risk ports and then to make recommendations for how we can address these problems. I am pleased that that amendment has been included in the omnibus that we will be voting on later this week. Mr. Speaker, the bill we are talking about today expands on this progress and is a great vehicle to identify cybersecurity problems at our Nation's ports. I would like to commend my colleague Congresswoman Torres for bringing this important issue to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.”