Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Strategy Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3510, the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Strategy Act of 2015, sponsored by Representative Cedric Richmond, ranking member of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Subcommittee, of which I am the chairman.

This legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to develop and to submit to Congress a cybersecurity strategy and implementation plan. Because the Department of Homeland Security is charged with securing the dot-gov domain and working with the private sector to secure the dot-com domain, a comprehensive strategic plan and implementation plan will support DHS' essential cybersecurity mission.

Mr. Speaker, too often these days cyber attacks disrupt the operations of government, of businesses, and of the lives of the American people. The increasingly sophisticated nature of the cyber threats we face on a daily basis underscore the need to manage and strengthen the cybersecurity of our Nation's critical infrastructure.

The Government Accountability Office has recommended the implementation of an overarching Federal cybersecurity strategy. H.R. 3510 is an important step toward accomplishing this task.

H.R. 3510 also precludes any reorganization effort of the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate, or NPPD, without congressional approval. This is an effort to ensure that congressional oversight is conducted.

Mr. Speaker, in June of this year, a story in the press announced that the NPPD was planning a significant reorganization. Since June, very few specifics have emerged, and even those that have have been very sparse in detail.

The details that have been made public elicit concern because they support overhauling the infrastructure protection and cybersecurity functions of the directorate without providing details on exactly what this would mean for the mission, for the structure, or for the workforce of the directorate.

The language in this bill follows a bipartisan letter sent just last month to the Department expressing congressional concern with the lack of transparency surrounding this proposed reorganization and communicating the congressional intent to provide oversight on this issue. The letter also clearly stated that any reorganization or realignment should require congressional authorization.

Over the past several years, the Committee on Homeland Security, on which I serve, has built up a collaborative working relationship with the NPPD, consulting with it to pass several strong and bipartisan pieces of legislation to improve chemical security and to strengthen DHS' cybersecurity mission and stature in the Federal Government.

Given our shared goal of protecting this country and the committee's continued legislative oversight efforts to strengthen DHS' cybersecurity functions, it is essential that the Department submit any proposal to Congress prior to reorganization or realignment.

It is Congress' role and responsibility to authorize the key responsibilities of the executive branch to include strengthening our cybersecurity posture and ensuring the security and resiliency of our Nation's critical infrastructure.

I would like to thank Mr. Richmond for the work that he and his staff have done to come together in a bipartisan way on this legislation.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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