Washington, DC— Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, strongly advocated today for passage of the bipartisan Cyber Deterrence and Response Act, which would combat cyber-attacks from hostile state actors. The measure unanimously passed the House by voice vote.

“Our adversaries continually engage in sophisticated cyber-attacks designed to disrupt our critical infrastructure, harm our economy, and undermine our elections. We have seen continued hostility from state-actors like Russia to undermine our democratic institutions and trigger instability in Europe by weakening key partners like Ukraine and Georgia,” said Fitzpatrick.  “The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act establishes a clear framework to deter and respond to state-sponsored cyber threats. It provides harsh sanctions through suspension of developmental assistance and credit allotment to nations engaged in malicious state sponsored cyber activities against the United States.”

Watch Fitzpatrick’s full speech on the Cyber Deterrence and Response Act here.

The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act [H.R. 5576], co-sponsored by Fitzpatrick, establishes a three-step process for identifying, deterring, and responding to state-sponsored malicious cyber activities. This bill requires the President to name-and-shame state-sponsored malicious cyber actors by designating them as “critical cyber threats” and to impose sanctions for carrying out hostile cyber activities against the United States.

For years, top U.S. Government officials have warned of the persistent and growing threat to our national security from foreign adversaries in cyberspace. China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, and other actors have developed sophisticated capabilities that can disrupt our networks, endanger our critical infrastructure, harm our economy, and undermine our elections. Despite the gravity of this threat, the United States still lacks a unified framework to deter and respond to state-sponsored critical cyber threats.

The full text of H.R. 5576 can be accessed HERE.          

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