Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, subcommittee Ranking Member Sherman, also my colleague from Texas and the coauthor, Representative McCaul. I thank them for all of their hard work on this. Every day, diplomats work to advance the interests of the United States, often at embassies and consulates in the most dangerous pockets of the world. They risk their lives to be our Nation's frontline civilians and are faced with having to adapt to changing technologies that often come with security risks. As Members of Congress, and especially those who conduct oversight of the United States State Department, we must protect our diplomats who serve our Nation from any threats posed by evolving technology, including fitness trackers, for example, that expose location. That is why I joined my fellow Texan, Chairman Michael McCaul, to introduce the Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act. This bill requires the State Department to account for these devices in the security policies of U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide and update embassy and consulate security policies by addressing vulnerabilities associated with location-tracking consumer devices worn by diplomatic personnel. These frontline civilians risk their lives in service to the United States. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to ensure these brave diplomats and development workers have the protections they deserve.…”