[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMOVAL OF NOMINATION OBJECTION

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, on May 10, I announced my intention to 
object to a unanimous consent request for the Senate to take up the 
nomination of Christopher C. Krebs who has been nominated by President 
Trump to serve as Under secretary of the National Protection and 
Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, DHS. I did 
so because DHS had yet to clear for public release important 
information about vulnerabilities in U.S. telephone networks that are 
being exploited, potentially by foreign governments, to target 
Americans.
  Last week, I discussed with Mr. Krebs our shared interest in 
protecting Americans from sophisticated cyber security threats, 
particularly those that exploit flaws in U.S. communications networks. 
I am pleased to say that DHS subsequently provided me with a letter 
that included much of the information that I had previously requested. 
I intend to make this letter public in the coming days and believe that 
it will further much needed debate about the security of U.S. telephone 
networks and the Federal Communications Commission's lax approach to 
regulating the privacy and cyber security practices of wireless 
carriers.
  In light of this action, I will no longer object to any unanimous 
consent request for the Senate to take up Mr. Kreb's nomination.

                          ____________________