Yvette Clarke

The number of high-profile cyber incidents over the past year has emphasized just how essential cybersecurity has become.

I am encouraged by the momentum, and I am committed to putting more resources in the hands of State and local governments.

I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from New York closes. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from New York closes. I reserve the balance of my time.

I am astonished that when the Trump administration in 2018 took unprecedented steps to ignore science and remove the term climate change entirely from FEMA's strategic plan.

The previous administration's failure to act on climate change is exactly why it is so important that Congress takes bold action now to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the American public from future climate impacts.

The plain and simple truth is that climate change has fueled a troubling rise in extreme weather disasters and events over recent decades making FEMA's job of protecting Americans more critical, yet more challenging than ever before.

I applaud your decision earlier this year to require State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security initiative grantees to dedicate at least 7.5 percent of their award to enhancing their cybersecurity posture.

I am extremely concerned about the rise in ransomware and other cyber attacks targeting our critical infrastructure.

I am working on legislation to close both of those gaps.

We have asked CISA to do an enormous job, but we have given them next to no regulatory authority over privately-owned critical infrastructure.

For CISA to be effective, it needs access to information about cyber attacks and greater visibility around those threats.

Do you agree that the vulnerability of our State and local governments to cyber attacks is a National security threat?

It has been 6 years since Congress passed the Cybersecurity Act of 2015 to incentivize voluntary private-sector participation.

I am working on legislation that will require critical infrastructure to report certain cybersecurity incidents to CISA.

I will also echo the Chairwoman's disappointment and our Ranking Member's disappointment that the FBI declined our invitation to participate in today's hearing.

We need private-sector critical infrastructure to step up, not just by investing in their own cybersecurity, but also by partnering with the Federal Government.

When we can look at children and see them as a threat to our National security and all they are seeking and their parents are seeking are an opportunity to bring them to safety...

I think we all need to take a deep breath and, you know, search our souls as Congressman Green has said about our collective humanity.

I want that to be a lesson to everyone who is listening to this hearing that we must, must do better with our cyber hygiene.

Simply put, there is no safe level for lead when it comes to children.

We know the impacts of climate change are already here, and they are being felt most profoundly by our underserved and disadvantaged communities.

Congress must take urgent action to prohibit the discriminatory deployment of broadband by internet service providers based on income level of an area, the predominant race or ethnicity composition of an area, or other focus.

Broadband is an essential utility, and consumers, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, deserve affordable, reliable broadband.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored the fact, with rapid adoption of the virtual space, that high-speed, affordable broadband is a critical resource.