Nick Langworthy: “I thank the gentlewoman from South Carolina for the time. I rise today in support of the Modernizing Government…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from South Carolina for the time. I rise today in support of the Modernizing Government Technology Reform Act. It is no secret that America's cyber infrastructure is under constant attack by our adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned Americans of the cyber threat that China poses, declaring that China's hackers are preparing to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities. {time} 1545 Yet, despite warning after warning of the rising threats to our Nation's cyber infrastructure, our Federal agencies remain dangerously vulnerable to future, potentially devastating cyberattacks. Every year, the Federal Government spends over $100 billion on IT and cybersecurity. Nonetheless, 80 percent of this spending goes to operating and maintaining outdated, obsolete legacy systems. These aging systems not only waste taxpayer money but also leave us exposed to our enemies. These IT systems also require specific technical knowledge to operate and update, which creates enormous procurement and hiring challenges, leaving agencies scrambling to find vendors and employees with the necessary skills. In addition to the upfront costs associated with updating legacy IT, many of these systems continue to run with known security vulnerabilities and unsupported hardware or software. This is a ticking time bomb.…”