Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), for yielding. I thank both the chairman and the ranking member, Mr. Connolly, for their leadership on this critical issue, not only in this congressional session but the last one, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 872, the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act.

In 2020, the Office of Management and Budget directed Federal agencies to implement cybersecurity vulnerability disclosure policies. These policies enable third-party researchers and white hat hackers to work with the Federal Government to proactively identify and patch vulnerabilities in information systems before a cyberattack takes place.

Mr. Speaker, we all know how critically important it is, particularly with systems that are older than some of us in this room, that these vulnerability disclosure policies require these third parties to notify the Federal agency of any sensitive data they encounter, like personally identifiable information, financial information, proprietary information, or trade secrets.

This allows cybersecurity vulnerability to be addressed and data to be secured before it is exploited by malign actors, including our adversaries. My colleagues know that malign actors affiliated with China, Russia, Iran, and others are after us all day, every day, 365 days a year.

These vulnerability disclosure policies are critical to preventing cyberattacks on Federal systems.

This is an important step in Federal cybersecurity, but the work of Federal agencies is supplemented by millions of contractors working on behalf of Federal departments and agencies. The Federal Government awards over 11 million contracts annually, with many of those contractors having access to Federal systems and vast amounts of sensitive information, including personally identifiable information of American citizens.

My bill, the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act, will require the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, to oversee updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to ensure that Federal contractors with access to Federal systems or who work with Federal data adopt these vulnerability disclosure policies, as well.

My bill also requires the Secretary of Defense to update the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement to require the same cybersecurity vulnerability disclosure policies, safeguarding the personal information of our servicemembers and the information vital to our national security.

These updates shall be done consistent with the guidelines and best practices developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and simply require contractors to abide by the same cybersecurity standards as Federal agencies.

Federal contractors with access to government systems and data should have the same safeguards in place as the government itself, ensuring that Federal systems and data are protected and that security vulnerabilities are addressed.

Adoption of vulnerability disclosure policies by government contractors will help protect the sensitive data of American citizens and our national security.

My bill would close a crucial vulnerability and protect our Nation from malicious actors who seek to steal our data and harm our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see this bill passed out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee unanimously last year by a vote of 42-0. It is long past time we get this done. Until these vulnerability disclosure policies are adopted across the entire Federal digital ecosystem, our Nation's data and security are at risk.

Mr. Speaker, before I urge my colleagues to support this bill, I will say I walked into the Chamber this afternoon moments ago, and I saw a tweet or a post on X from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who said his protecting South Carolinians from sexual predators is a top priority. Protecting citizens of this country has been my top priority since the day I was ever sworn into office, particularly my constituents whom I represent.

I recently gave a speech on this floor where I was very detailed about horrific abuses I have experienced. When you talk about vulnerabilities, I know about being vulnerable.

When you talk about cybersecurity, I sit awake in my bed every single night wondering if anyone has ever seen those videos of me or any of the other women in the tapes that I outlined in my speech.

In the last 3 weeks since I came forward and gave that speech on the floor, my attorney general, Alan Wilson--and I am going to make sure every South Carolinian knows your name forever, not just for what you did but for what you have not done, your inaction on vulnerabilities of my own constituents in my district in South Carolina. You have done nothing in the last 3 weeks except attack me, a Member of Congress, who, in my duty, did my duty to protect her constituents.

I will keep fighting for every American citizen whether it is in this bill about vulnerability disclosure policy and Federal Government. I will do it for rape victims not just in my district, but in my State and in my country. I will do it because I care. I swore an oath to the Constitution to serve my constituents, to serve my State, and to serve my Nation every possible way that I can.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to take cyber threats by malign actors seriously. I urge my colleagues to protect the security of Americans' data. I urge my colleagues to do whatever we can in this Chamber to protect people who are vulnerable, whether we are talking about data or we are talking about rape victims, sex trafficking, all those things.

Victims should not be attacked ever, and I am one of those victims. I am tired of being attacked by the attorney general. I am tired of being blamed for being a rape victim and being a victim of Peeping Toms and voyeurism, same with these other victims. I am tired of it. I will not stand for it, not in this Chamber, not in my State, and not back home.

Attorney General Alan Wilson, I hope you have your No. 2 pencil out, and I hope you are taking notes. I hope that pencil is sharpened because, once I get my teeth stuck in you, I am not letting go. I will fight for every woman and girl across this country all day every day always.

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