Dems press DHS to complete election security repor

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Friday raised concerns around the Department of Homeland Security’s failure to submit a congressionally mandated election security report on time.

DHS was required under the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to submit a report to Congress on successful and attempted cyberattacks on U.S. election infrastructure during the 2016 elections, along with any future cyberattacks on elections that DHS anticipates.

The agency was required by the NDAA to submit the report within 60 days of the bill being signed into law. President Trump signed the NDAA on Dec. 20, with Feb. 18 marking the deadline for the report to be submitted to appropriate congressional committees.

Thompson, whose committee is among those that DHS is required to submit the report to, said Friday that the failure of DHS to submit the report “further obstructs Congress’ abilities to conduct proper oversight,” and noted this was “in direct violation of the law.”

“The threat to our democracy from foreign governments is real, and the Administration’s pattern of denial must stop,” Thompson added. “With President Trump in office, the American people cannot expect our elections to be secure and free from foreign interference or cyber-attacks with status quo measures in place.”