Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act, and I thank Representative Susan Wild for her strong leadership on this very important piece of legislation. Telecommunications security is a pillar of our national security. If an adversary can partially or fully shut down your mobile network, then they have tremendous leverage over your diplomatic, economic, and security matters. If an adversary can tap into your networks through back doors built into network equipment, then phone calls on national security matters can and will be surveilled. Given these dangerous vulnerabilities, it is crucial that Congress and the executive branch fully understand the risks. The Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act will require additional reporting and analysis on the safety of our communications in embassies around the globe where, by necessity, communications will often need to be routed through equipment produced by PRC companies like Huawei and ZTE. The legislation also calls for reporting on the use of unsafe telecommunication equipment by countries with whom we have mutual security pacts. We need to be able to communicate securely with our allies and partners around the world. Crucially, the legislation also authorizes the State Department to engage in telecommunications security activities.…”