Peter King: “I rise today regarding the authorization of the Defense Production Act and the legislation that the House of…”

“I rise today regarding the authorization of the Defense Production Act and the legislation that the House of Representatives and Senate have produced. I wish to make two points. First, the House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed to include language that makes clear that all the authorities included within the DPA may be used for critical infrastructure protection and restoration purposes. I have been informed that in past administrations there may have been some confusion regarding the applicability of the DPA to critical infrastructure. The language included in the reauthorization legislation ends any debate that may have existed. Secondly, it is the intent of the House that the DPA be interpreted to allow the administration to exercise the authorities provided under Section 101 of the DPA to directly assist a private sector critical infrastructure owner or operator in furtherance of critical infrastructure protection or restoration. The House of Representatives' desired interpretation, however, should not be construed, in any way, as limiting the applicability of the DPA's other authorities with respect to critical infrastructure protection and restoration.”