Political Quotes

“Madam President, the cyber security bill included in the omnibus is a first step towards improving our Nation's dangerously inadequate defenses against cyber attacks. I know that the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee worked hard to ensure that a cyber security bill passed this year. Unfortunately, however, the American people and economy will remain vulnerable to a catastrophic cyber attack against our critical infrastructure even after this bill becomes law. Critical infrastructure refers to entities that are vital to the safety, health, and economic well-being of the American people, such as the major utilities that run the Nation's electric grid, the national air transportation system that moves passengers and cargo safely from one location to another, and the elements of the financial sector that ensure the $14 trillion in payments made every day are securely routed through the banking system. The Senate-passed cyber bill included an important provision I authored with the support of Senators Mikulski, Coats, Reed, Warner, Heinrich, King, Hirono, and Wyden that would have required the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the appropriate Federal agencies, to undertake an assessment of the fewer than 65 critical infrastructure entities at greatest risk of causing catastrophic harm if they were the targets of a successful cyber attack.…”