Inside Cybersecurity: GOP lawmakers emphasize need for oversight in implementing White House initiatives to secure U.S. ports from China threats
Republican leaders from two key House committees say the actions announced this week by the Biden administration to secure U.S. ports are a “meaningful step,” while calling for additional oversight to address cyber maritime threats from the Chinese Communist Party…Homeland Security cyber subcommittee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) said in a statement, “Maritime port security is vital to our national security. The presence of this technology in U.S. ports significantly increases the cybersecurity risk to business operations systems and terminal industrial control systems. While I am pleased to see the Administration finally prioritizing the Cybersecurity of U.S. Ports, especially in light of heightened concerns over technology employed by Chinese-manufactured cranes, this action is long overdue.”
“Members of Congress have been raising the alarm about this threat since 2022, which is why last year, I and other Members of the Homeland Security Committee sent multiple letters to the Department of Homeland Security highlighting our concerns and urging action,” the subcommittee chair said.
Garbarino said, “The Chinese Communist Party continues to subvert U.S. economic and national security interests through the use of CCP-manufactured technology at our ports, so while this is a positive step forward, the Administration must ensure that it is more proactively mitigating these security risks and bolstering our cyber preparedness against malign Chinese actions going forward.”
Green and three of his subcommittee chairs sent a letter in April 2023 to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking for detailed information on DHS efforts to address cyber vulnerabilities at maritime ports.