Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment Chairman Markey for referring to Mr. Upton as ``Chairman Upton.'' That may be a foreteller of things to come, and we appreciate his prescience in acknowledging that possibility. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of H.R. 5026, the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act, better known as the GRID Act. This is an example of legislation that has come to the floor after a 47-0 bipartisan vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee that shows what the Congress can do when Republicans are allowed into the room to help draft and put into place legislation. While it is a rare occasion in this Congress, it certainly is something that both sides of the aisle can be proud of. I want to especially commend Subcommittee Chairman Markey, Full Committee Chairman Waxman, Ranking Member Upton, and others on both sides of the aisle to make this day possible. Our electric grid is increasingly vulnerable to cyber attack, and if a nation-state or a terrorist group were successful in crippling our electric grid, it would have devastating consequences for our economy and our national defense. We've read news stories reporting allegations that spies may have penetrated the mechanisms that control our power supplies. Cybersecurity experts report that the ``smart grid'' we are counting on to improve reliability and enhance consumer choices could also increase our exposure to hackers in places like China and Russia.…”