[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E680-E681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NTIA POLICY AND CYBERSECURITY COORDINATION ACT

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                               speech of

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 14, 2025

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1766, 
The NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act.
  The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or 
NTIA, is a critical agency within the Department of Commerce that works 
across the Federal government to develop telecommunications and 
information policy. Congress should support this agency and give it the 
resources and authorities it needs to fulfill its current mission. 
However, this bill would waste taxpayer dollars by unnecessarily 
duplicating activities already authorized by Congress.
  The NTIA was originally part of its sister agency, the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology. Since Congress established NTIA 
as its own agency in 1978, the two agencies have carried out 
complementary but distinct areas of work. NIST serves as an 
independent, unbiased arbiter of trusted measurements and standards 
while NTIA has its regulatory responsibilities.
  These two agencies often work together, unfortunately this bill would 
swell NTIA's mission into a cybersecurity role to which it does not 
possess the appropriate experience or expertise and blur the lines 
between the agencies, especially on issues related to cybersecurity. 
For example, Congress authorized NIST, in collaboration with CISA, to 
conduct a cybersecurity activity related to the internet and 
communications networks in the Cybersecurity Enhancements Act of 2014, 
the CHIPS and Science Act of 2020, the HACKED Act of 2021, and more. 
H.R. 1766 would directly duplicate, at NTIA, those ongoing efforts 
underway at NIST. There is also a provision in the bill that implicates 
agencies outside of the Department of Commerce by duplicating the 
Department of Homeland Security's information technology supply chain 
security programs.
  This Act was included as part of a broader NTIA Reauthorization that 
was considered in

[[Page E681]]

the 118th Congress. At the time, the Department of Commerce weighed in 
requesting significant changes to the provision that are unfortunately 
not included in the Act we will consider today. As such, this bill 
merits further vetting and input from the Department of Commerce.
  This bill needs to be changed to address these concerns. Until that 
happens I must regretfully oppose this legislation in its current form.

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