Ratcliffe renamed chair of House Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) was renamed chair of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee last week for the 115th Congress.

“The importance of cybersecurity to every aspect of society is becoming increasingly apparent,” Ratcliffe said. “Cybersecurity is a prominent and permanent factor we must take into account as we formulate national security strategies, develop policies for protecting our critical infrastructure, and strive to safeguard the personal privacy of Americans.”

Ratcliffe identified a range of issues he wished to address as chair including improving the security of federal networks, building a stronger cyber workforce, ensuring the federal government is leveraging innovative cybersecurity technologies, and developing public-private partnerships for the security of critical infrastructure.

Ratcliffe also said he wanted the committee to build effective collaboration with state and local partners and implement the Cybersecurity Act of 2015, which creates a voluntary cybersecurity information sharing process with the intent to encourage both public and private sector entities to share cyber threat information.

“On top of this, the United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016 was signed into law in December, and just this month, the House passed two key measures to foster collaboration between the federal government and private sector in boosting cybersecurity innovation,” Ratcliffe said. “Looking ahead, I plan to lead the subcommittee in building upon the progress we’ve already made.”