Political Quotes

“I rise today to urge my colleagues to join me in support of my amendment to help secure and protect our Nation from cyber attacks. My amendment would basically coordinate Federal information security policy by creating a National Office for Cyberspace, update our Federal information security management practices, and establish measures for the protection of critical infrastructure from cyber attacks. Mr. Chairman, this amendment passed the House of Representatives last year without objection. In the intervening year, the threats that we face in cyberspace have clearly multiplied. Three months ago, the director of the CIA told the Congress that the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber attack. Shortly after, the Los Angeles Times reported on a computer hacker who, in a test of a southern California water system, took control of the equipment that added chemicals to the water. The article stated, ``with a few mouse clicks, he could have rendered the water undrinkable for millions of homes.'' Mr. Chairman, my amendment would secure our government-owned IT networks against massive data breaches and attacks by implementing recommendations of the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity, which I cochaired last year's committee work on Oversight and Government Reform and several recent White House proposals. Mr.…”