WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection & Innovation Subcommittee, delivered the following opening statement in a subcommittee hearing entitled, “Securing the Future: Harnessing the Potential of Emerging Technologies while Mitigating Security Risks.”

Ranking Member Garbarino’s Opening Statement (as prepared for delivery)

Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this critical conversation regarding new and emerging technologies, and their implications for the security and longevity of the United States. I would like to thank our witnesses for being here today. I look forward to a constructive dialogue.

Cyber incidents are increasing at a staggering rate, with threat vectors and opportunities for attack rising as quickly as new technologies are developed.  With this expanding threat landscape comes both risk and opportunity.

With technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and deepfakes, coupled with the potential for malicious actors such as adversarial nation state actors seeking cyber dominance and criminal actors seeking financial gain, this topic is timely and important.

It is paramount that the U.S. government ensures our cyber capabilities maintain pace with the lightning speed evolution of technological change. Striking the proper balance between security and harnessing technological innovation is critical in maintaining an edge against our adversaries and criminal entities, ensuring national prosperity.

As the lead for coordinating federal cybersecurity, CISA will have a vast role in securing our federal networks and critically important infrastructure as we witness the emergence of new technologies. Efforts like developing  a federal cloud security strategy, ensuring transparent cyber incident reporting requirements are well defined and articulated, and working with federal partners like NIST to develop standards to keep our networks and dependencies like software secure will go a long way in this fight. CISA is uniquely equipped to lead the federal government on cybersecurity measures as we prepare for new tech capabilities on the horizon. I look forward to CISA continuing to adapt and evolve to address the challenges ahead.

This hearing is an opportunity to learn from industry representatives about the evolving nature of cyber threats and technological developments which will have significant implications for the cyber domain and U.S. interests. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on their particular emerging technology focus.

I specifically look forward to hearing from Mr. Rob Strayer, the Executive Vice President of Policy at the Information Industry Council (ITI). I trust Mr. Strayer can provide a valuable perspective on emerging technologies and resulting cybersecurity challenges and opportunities.

I am also pleased to see Mr. Ron Green here, as the chief security officer for Mastercard but also, importantly, as the Chairman of the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Investigation Advisory Board.

I again thank the Chairwoman for holding this important hearing today.