Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5026, legislation to protect our national electric grid system. I would particularly like to thank Chairman Markey for his outstanding leadership and dedication to this important national security issue. I know he has given great time and effort and thought to this, and I thank him for that. I would also like to thank Chairman Waxman for his attention to this issue. I would also like to recognize and to thank my good friend Mr. Thompson, chairman of the full Homeland Security Committee, for working with me in 2008 to hold hearings and to closely examine what actions our country must absolutely take to prevent attacks on our national security electric grid. Two years ago, I testified before Chairman Markey's subcommittee about the threats to our bulk power system from cyberattack. In the 110th Congress, as chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, I conducted a detailed and thorough examination of cyberthreats to our critical infrastructure, and I want to reiterate what I made clear in my testimony. I believe that America is still vulnerable to a cyberattack against the electric grid, which would cause severe damage, not only to our critical infrastructure, but also to our economy and to the welfare of our citizens. The vast majority of our critical assets is in private hands.…”