[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 201 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORTING CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, earlier this evening, the House passed 
H.R. 3359, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act, 
and I would like to commend Homeland Security Committee Chairman McCaul 
and Ranking Member Thompson for their efforts getting it through the 
House, along with my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee.
  This bipartisan bill makes long overdue changes to the organization 
of the National Protection and Programs Directorate, or NPPD, to 
reflect its growing operational role in cybersecurity. Despite it being 
notionally a headquarters component, NPPD is home to the government's 
premier cyber incident response teams; the 24/7 watch floor and 
information sharing hub; and the Federal Network Resilience Division, 
tasked with supporting other agencies in defending their networks. NPPD 
is also charged with leading asset response activities under the 
National Cyber Incident Response Plan.
  H.R. 3359 recognizes that these activities go far beyond NPPD's 
original mission and raises the renamed component to an agency on par 
with Customs and Border Protection or the TSA.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope the bill makes crystal clear that DHS is the 
primary agency for domestic cybersecurity in peacetime, and I encourage 
young people looking at cybersecurity careers to consider joining the 
vanguard at this new agency. I look forward to its swift passage and 
consideration in the Senate.

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