Janice Hahn: “As a representative of our Nation's busiest port complex and the cofounder and cochair of the Ports Caucus, I understand…”

“As a representative of our Nation's busiest port complex and the cofounder and cochair of the Ports Caucus, I understand the unique security challenges that ports pose to our economic and national security. Ports are a crucial piece of our economy, and a potential attack or disruption to trade operations could have a disastrous impact on the American economy. Last week, the Brookings Institution released a study highlighting troubling cybersecurity weaknesses at our Nation's ports, an all too often overlooked area of infrastructure vulnerability. We need to do better and finally take a comprehensive examination of the security of our Nation's ports facilities and develop a plan to address any gaps or vulnerabilities. This is why I urge my colleagues to support the GAPS Act, my legislation that directs the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive classified study of potential gaps in port security and prepare a plan to address them. After all, think tanks aren't the only ones looking for security weaknesses at our ports. ____________________”