WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the consideration of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
“It shouldn’t take another cyber attack to remind Congress of the critical need for a strong cyber defense. That’s why it’s imperative that Congress, the Administration, and stakeholders work together on legislation that continues to bolster our nation’s cyber defenses, and do so with a sense of urgency. We made important progress on this front last Congress but more must be done to stay ahead of this growing threat. That includes passing legislation that would promote the sharing of cyber threat data among the private sector and the federal government to defend against cyber attacks and encourage better coordination. While we need to work quickly, we should do so through a collaborative and transparent process that ensures the final product protects our civil liberties. That means multiple Senate committees, senators from both sides of the aisle, and stakeholders on all sides of this issue must have the opportunity to participate in an open debate and be permitted to suggest improvements to the bill. While I appreciate Majority Leader McConnell’s willingness to move forward with cyber information sharing legislation, tucking it into the National Defense Authorization Act with almost no debate is not the right approach. I believe that proceeding in this way would hurt this critical bill’s chances to get signed into law in a timely manner. I strongly encourage Senator McConnell to consider this bill under regular order so that we can have the full and open debate on this issue my colleagues and the American people have been expecting all year.”