The Los Angeles Post

House GOP unveils cyber agenda

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Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are gearing up to introduce a bevy of bills aimed at enhancing the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) cybersecurity capabilities.

The bills are the first glimpse into the new “American Security Agenda” that committee Republicans plan to pursue this Congress.

In prepared remarks from Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, for the International Summit on Borders in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, the goal of the agenda is to “take a hard look at the Department’s missions and act to ensure that DHS is prepared to tackle the emerging threats to our homeland,” including threats to social media, satellites and theft of intellectual property.

Republican members of the committee plan to introduce seven bills in the coming weeks, with several specifically focused on cybersecurity.

The bills: Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) will reintroduce the Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act, which would enable DHS to keep products from vendors that pose national security risks out of U.S. supply chains.

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) will introduce the Pipeline Security Enhancement Act, which would give DHS’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) the power to inspect and improve the physical security and cybersecurity of U.S. pipelines.

And the cybersecurity subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), will introduce the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act. This legislation is designed to help DHS and its local government partners bolster their cybersecurity resiliency capacity by authorizing grants and technical assistance.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, will introduce legislation to formally reauthorize the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program, which allows DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to compile data on violent criminals, terrorists and fugitives and scan migrants at the border.

Three other bills set to be introduced by GOP Homeland Security committee members will help TSA identify emerging threats to the transportation system and reform DHS’s structure and management.