Statement by Senator John McCain on Senate Intelligence Committee Approval of Cybersecurity Legislation

Statement

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Member, Ex Officio, of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today released the following statement on the Intelligence Committee's passage of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, of which Senator McCain is an original co-sponsor:

"I was pleased by today's overwhelming vote in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence approving this bill, of which I am an original co-sponsor. This crucial legislation has been among my highest priorities so far this Congress, working in close coordination with Chairman Burr. I look forward to its consideration by the full Senate.

"Over the last several years, I have spent countless hours attempting to negotiate cybersecurity legislation, understanding the vital importance of an effective cyber strategy to our overall national security. Throughout that time, the message we have heard from businesses under assault by cyberattacks is that passing legislation allowing for the sharing of cyber threat information is the single-best thing Congress can do to improve our nation's cybersecurity posture. This message has been repeatedly echoed by those within government who are tasked with assessing and preventing threats to our nation's security, including cyberattacks carried-out by increasingly sophisticated actors and hostile nation-states.

"By encouraging the responsible, voluntary sharing of crucial threat information, this bill would improve our ability to identify those responsible for costly and crippling cyber-attacks and, ultimately, deter future attacks. I am pleased that the bill takes into consideration the important role the Department of Defense must play in ensuring we can appropriately deter, defend, and when necessary respond to the actions of foreign governments and terrorist organizations seeking to undermine our national security through cyberattacks.

"Every day we delay moving forward with this legislation, our nation grows more vulnerable, our privacy and security are increasingly at-risk, and our adversaries are further emboldened. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure we move forward quickly to enact this critical legislation, and will continue to make cybersecurity a priority in the Senate Armed Service Committee and the 114th Congress."

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