McConnell Calls for Passage of Senate Cybersecurity Measure
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the bipartisan cybersecurity measure:
“I think a lot of people were shocked to hear that the Obama Administration was unable to prevent the information of 4 million Americans from being compromised by hackers.
“Officials in the White House now owe it to every American to let Congress help them get out of the past and up to speed with the cybersecurity realities of the 21st Century. That’s just what the measure we’ll soon consider would help do.
“It contains modern tools that cybersecurity experts tell us could help deter future attacks against both the public and private sectors. The measure would also help get the word out faster about attacks as soon as they’re detected, provide governments and businesses with knowledge they can use to erect stronger defenses, and help strike a critical balance between security and privacy in the process.
“The bill would do so by, for instance, mandating the creation of guidelines to limit the use, retention, and diffusion of consumers’ personal information.
“This is more than just a smart measure, it’s a transparent one too. It’s been carefully scrutinized by Senators of both parties. It’s been endorsed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis by nearly every single Democrat and every single Republican on the Intelligence Committee. And it’s been posted online and available for anyone to read for quite some time.
“The need for this smart, bipartisan, transparent measure couldn’t be clearer. We shouldn’t wait for the Administration to fumble away another 4 million social security numbers or personal addresses before we help them get modernized and up to speed.
“That hasn’t stopped some Democrat leaders from thinking they should try to score political points by taking down a bipartisan measure to combat cyberattacks.
“I hope they won’t.
“Most Americans would find it awfully cynical for Democrat Leaders — in the wake of the Administration’s inability to stop such a massive cyberattack — to vote against the very same cybersecurity legislation their own party vetted and overwhelmingly endorsed in committee, for the sake of scoring a political point.
“We’ve got a smart, transparent, bipartisan, fully vetted measure before us that can help make our country safer.
“Senators in both parties have a chance to offer other amendments to the bill. Amend it too.
My hope now is that we can work together to pass a measure that’s in support of the American people and backed by a broad coalition of supporters, everyone from the Chamber of Commerce to the U.S. Telecom Association.
“The sooner we do, the sooner we can conference it with two similar White House-backed bills that passed the House – and the sooner we can finally get a good cybersecurity law on the books to help protect Americans.”
Related Issues: NDAA, Cybersecurity
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