Improving Our Cybersecurity

Statement

Dear Friends,

In February, the perpetrators of a cyber-attack against Anthem stole the private information of up to 80 million Americans, including more than one million Connecticut residents. Similar breaches at Target, Home Depot and JP Morgan over the past year have affected more of us, and our national security has been threatened by cyber criminals backed by hostile nation-states. We can't allow this steady stream of attacks to continue. Congress must act in a comprehensive way to better protect Americans' personal information as well as our economy and security.

My colleagues and I from both parties on the House Intelligence Committee recently voted to approve the Protecting Cyber Networks Act to do just that. This legislation is designed to create a cooperative system whereby the private sector and government can safely share information to better protect against and combat cyber threats. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity, I worked closely on this bill to ensure that it included strong privacy and civil liberties protections. We had valuable input from the privacy community, industry stakeholders, intelligence community and law enforcement on this topic. Ultimately, I believe it strikes the right balance between improving our nation's cybersecurity and protecting our citizens.

The Protecting Cyber Networks Act should now be considered by the full House of Representatives. The bipartisanship that was reflected within the Intelligence Committee should be furthered in Congress to address this very real problem that affects all Americans, hurts our economy and makes our nation's security more vulnerable.

Sincerely,
Jim

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