Cisa Cyber Exercise Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to support the CISA Cyber Exercise Act, a bipartisan bill to strengthen our preparation for cyber threats, which I introduced following the ransomware attacks on the Colonial Pipeline.

Last month, I happened to have the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Vilsack join me in Ingham County in my district to talk to farmers about protecting family farms, a very important topic in a rural community like mine. And when we went to open Q and A what I think shocked everybody was that the first man to stand up, the first farmer that stood up in his John Deere hat and his overalls wanted to know about cybersecurity. That was the first thing on his mind.

I never imagined that, as a Member of Congress, I would find myself standing in a barn talking with local farmers about ransomware, cyberattacks, and how we are going to protect ourselves but, in fact, I have been having that conversation over and over again in my community. And that is because the last few months have made clear to all Americans that cybersecurity is not just a tech issue, it has gone mainstream. It is at the very heart of protecting our critical infrastructure, energy, food, water, and healthcare that drives our daily lives, and it affects every single one of us. That is why just a week after a ransomware attack struck the world's largest meat processor, these Ingham County farmers wanted to know how cyberattacks would affect their family farms, their livelihood.

What would happen if we were struck by ransomware in Michigan? Who could they turn to to call for help? And above all, what is our government doing to protect citizens who are on the front lines of this threat?

I introduced the CISA Cyber Exercise Act to help answer exactly those questions.

This bill will make sure that our government is preparing for the full range of cyber threats and that we are giving our communities and businesses the tools they need to be secure and resilient.

It strengthens CISA, which is literally America's 911 call for cybersecurity, by formally establishing a National Cyber Exercise Program to test our Nation's response plans for major cyberattacks.

It also directs CISA to build and expand a set of model cyber exercises that can be used by our State and local governments.

By passing this legislation today, we are helping to ensure our Nation and our communities are protected.

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