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Ruppersberger Supports Omnibus Funding Bill, Applauds Information-Sharing Provision

Press Release

Date: Dec. 18, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security Technology and Communication Government Budget and Spending

Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger today voted in favor of the bipartisan $1 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2016, which included a cybersecurity information-sharing provision that he has championed for more than a decade. As an author of information-sharing legislation since 2011, Congressman Ruppersberger said the vote moves us one step closer to stopping increasingly-aggressive cyber attacks before they happen.

"I am relieved that Congress has finally taken a proactive step against the hackers, terrorists, organized criminals and even state actors who are getting better every day at stealing our information," Congressman Ruppersberger said. "Our nation's cyber warriors will now be able to tell Target, Home Depot, Sony and other companies when a cyber attack may be coming down the pike. We will also be in a much better position to protect critical infrastructure including our electric grids, phone lines and banking system."

Congressman Ruppersberger and former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers wrote the first cybersecurity bill that saw success in Congress. Their bill, the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act," or CISPA, twice passed the House with large bipartisan majorities but stalled in the Senate last year. Like the omnibus provision that passed Thursday, CISPA created a voluntary system of sharing information on potential cyber threats between the public and private sectors.

Congressman Ruppersberger was also responsible for securing $10 million for a new Department of Defense clinical research program designed to advance the treatment of trauma injuries both on and off the battlefield.

The omnibus, which funds the government for 2016 and avoids a government shutdown, implements the Bipartisan Budget Agreement adopted by Congress in October. It makes strong investments in Congressman Ruppersberger's top priority areas including education, infrastructure, medical research and law enforcement.


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