Katko Statement on White House Supply Chain Report

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued the below statement on the Biden Administration’s key findings from reviews directed under Executive Order 14017 “America’s Supply Chains,” to strengthen our nation’s critical supply chains:

“While I am happy to see the on time release of the supply chain report and the interest this critical issue has from high levels of the White House, the results reinforce the significance of the work ahead and the necessity to properly fold in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into these efforts going forward. Our focus must be relentless on solving issues that are inherently based in security and competition. If we get bogged down in more ideologically peripheral issues like collective bargaining, I worry that we will miss the mark for what we as a nation are really trying to address.

“As I’ve stated previously, DHS has unique statutory authority in both securing the homeland as well as facilitating lawful trade and travel. We must leverage these capabilities as a centerpiece of a whole of government blueprint towards effectively understanding geopolitical competition. Securing our critical supply chains is part of a larger, great powers competition that will require hard decisions to be made. With this in mind, the American people need a serious plan for the economic security of this nation that places their safety and prosperity first.

“I call on the President to use the report due at the end of the year to reevaluate the necessity to have the proper players at the table for an undertaking as important as this. Similarly, I hope for a quick passage of my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3264, the Domains Critical to Homeland Security Act. This legislation recognizes an undeniable fact that must guide our efforts going forward – economic security is homeland security. That reality has arrived and will only intensify in the years ahead.”