Katko: Biden’s ‘Tough Talk’ With Russia Isn’t Getting The Job Done

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on reports that Russia is once again testing its boundaries with President Biden by expanding its cyber hacking efforts to compromise federal and private sector networks.

“It’s become explicitly clear that the Russian government has no intention of working to stop cyber aggression from actors operating out of their country. Adversaries like Russia are creating safe havens for bad actors and the only way to respond is with strength. Russia will not stop attempting to undermine U.S. cyber space until they know the consequences will be dire. President Biden’s ‘tough talk’ and little action with Russia isn’t getting the job done and that’s more evident than ever. We’re facing a moment of reckoning when it comes to deterrence.

“In order to prevent and combat these intrusions, we must thoroughly understand the single points of failure within our nation’s critical infrastructure. Much of our 16 critical infrastructure sectors are underpinned by increasingly vulnerable hardware and software. That is why I am leading an effort to establish a transparent process for designating SICI and direct CISA to prioritize meaningful benefits to SICI owners and operators without any additional burden. These latest attempts from Russia are further proof there is simply no time to waste on this important effort to secure our nation’s key industries and sectors against attacks by adversaries like Russia.”

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