On the recordFebruary 14, 2012
Mr. President, I do rise today to introduce with the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Senator Lieberman, as well as Senator Rockefeller and Senator Feinstein, the Cyber Security Act of 2012. As always, it has been a great pleasure to work with my friend and colleague from Connecticut on what I believe is the most important initiative we have come together on since perhaps our 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. I am also delighted that three Senate chairmen who have significant jurisdiction in this area--Senators Lieberman, Rockefeller, and Feinstein--have come together. We have all worked very hard on this bill. I also want to commend the staff of our committee, which has worked extraordinarily hard over several years to produce this bill. Our legislation would provide the Federal Government and the private sector with the tools necessary to protect our most critical infrastructure from growing cyber threats. Earlier this month, FBI Director Robert Mueller warned that the cyber threat will soon equal or surpass the threat from terrorism. He argued that we should be addressing the cyber threat with the same intensity we have applied to the terrorist threat. Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper made the point even more strongly. He described the cyber threat as: A profound threat to this country, to its future, its economy and its very being. These warnings are the latest in a chorus of warnings from current and former officials.…
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