Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, which I am proud to co-lead with Representative Miller-Meeks of Iowa.

This bill represents the sort of bipartisan work that is important for the security and stability of the American grid and the safety of the American people.

This bill reauthorizes the vital RMUC program, which helps rural and small municipalities to protect themselves against ever-multiplying and more sophisticated cybersecurity threats that could prove severely disruptive to small and rural communities alike, just like the ones I represent in Virginia's Fourth Congressional District.

Far too often, these communities lack the resources and the support necessary to defend against malign actors targeting important infrastructure and services, and AI has made it easier for such malign actors to do so.

For example, rural Prince George County, Virginia, in my district, just a few weeks ago, fell victim to a cyber incident that impacted the county's payment services. Fortunately, the attack didn't impact other, more consequential services, but it serves as an example of why we must take proactive steps to ensure the security of our grid, especially in small and rural communities that are especially vulnerable.

Our bill fills those gaps by ensuring that these communities can face the challenges of our increasingly digital world and, in turn, bolster cybersecurity defenses for the entire Nation's grid.

Madam Speaker, I am glad to work with my colleague from Iowa to advance this important bill, and I urge my colleagues to support our legislation to reauthorize this vital program.

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