Rep. Swalwell Discusses Need for Strong Cybersecurity Legislation at Science, Space & Technology Committee
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) delivered the following remarks at a Science, Space & Technology Committee markup of H.R. 756, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013, which helps develop our nation's capabilities for cyberdefense through R&D and developing comprehensive security standards. Swalwell indicated his overall support for the legislation to protect our nation's critical information technology infrastructure, and called for the legislation to do more to encourage public-private partnerships as a strategy to improve cyberdefense systems. Below are Rep. Swalwell's remarks as prepared and the video:
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"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you holding this markup. I'm also pleased that on the agenda of my first markup as a Member of Congress is a bill to address the critical issue of cybersecurity.
"I'm proud and feel fortunate to represent Northern Silicon Valley in California, the heart of innovation, technology, computers, and the Internet for the nation and the world. Needless to say, protecting the integrity of computer systems and securing the information they contain is absolutely critical for this area. And, an attack against companies in Silicon Valley will ripple across the country and the globe.
"As we know, this threat is very real. Networks are being attacked constantly, by a variety of different actors and for different reasons. For example, there is evidence that Iran has targeted our financial institutions, and China is out to steal one of the best drivers we have of economic growth, our intellectual property.
"Yesterday, in the other committee on which I sit, the Committee on Homeland Security, we discussed these and other issues at a hearing with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Janet Hall Lute and other interested stakeholders. DHS acknowledges the need for federal legislation to enhance cybersecurity capabilities while still protecting privacy, and I'm looking forward to passing legislation to do that out of the Homeland Security Committee.
"Today we're considering a piece of the cybersecurity puzzle, H.R. 756, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013. This bill would help develop our capabilities for cyberdefense by, among other elements, developing security standards and improving the collaboration among federal agencies for relevant research and development.
"I support this bill and encourage my colleagues to do so as well. I want to make two quick points.
"First, Section 107 requires a report from the President relating to the needs of our federal cybersecurity workforce. Among other items, the bill requires that the report include "an analysis of any barriers to the Federal Government recruiting and hiring cybersecurity talent, including barriers relating to compensation, the hiring process, job classification, and hiring flexibilities." I want to be clear that any such discussion should encompass and explain the effects of the ongoing federal pay freeze and the sequester.
"Federal employee pay has been frozen since 2011 and that freeze is expected to continue this year. The sequester is a mindless, across-the-board cut in government spending, and this issue of cybersecurity shows how myopic this approach is. We can cut foolish spending without cutting foolishly. When we all agree on the importance of cybersecurity and we're cutting the salaries of the federal employees who work to protect us on a daily basis, something is seriously wrong.
"Second, I strongly believe that our best solutions come from collaboration between all interested stakeholders -- government, industry, academia, and so on. I ran for Congress with a deep desire to encourage public-private collaboration and partnerships.
"Section 103 requires a plan on how the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program should best guide federal cybersecurity research and development. The plan already must include a variety of items, like goals for federal research and a description of how the program will establish a research infrastructure.
"As part of this process, the agencies involved should also be required to consider and include in the report how the program will foster the establishment of public-private partnerships that will result in research, technologies, and applications that will help us improve cybersecurity defense. With such an important issue and in an area of tight budgets, we need to make the best and most effective use of taxpayer dollars. This can be accomplished, in part, by combining the talents of the private sector, like the many technology companies in my district, and the government.
"Mr. Chairman, I hope that you and Ranking Member Johnson will consider adding such a provision to the bill after it passes the committee today. I look forward to working with you both on this and strengthening the bill in this way before it goes to the House Floor.
"Thank you again for holding this markup."