[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H719-H720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY STRATEGY

  (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the national 
cybersecurity strategy included in the President's budget proposal for 
fiscal year 2017.
  This is a solid framework that includes a 35 percent increase for 
cyber and a new high-level official focused solely on implementing a 
cyber strategy across the entire Federal Government.
  Cyber hackers are costing American companies billions of dollars in 
intellectual property every year. Terrorists, like ISIS, organized 
criminals, and even state actors, such as Iran and North Korea, are 
honing their cyber skills, which could put our country at critical 
risk, including infrastructure shutdowns.
  For years, I have advocated for a Cabinet-level cyber position with 
budget authority because the cyber threat is so severe. This new 
official should have real authority to drive change across the Federal 
Government.
  We must also continue working on issues still unaddressed, such as 
the insider threat posed by people within the government. An example of 
that is Edward Snowden, who gave stolen American information to Russia 
and China.
  This is especially critical in the wake of a data breach affecting 
more than 22 million current, former, and prospective Federal employees 
last June.

[[Page H720]]

  I urge my colleagues to support this priority.

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