Homeland Security Committee holds field hearing on port security

Members of U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee held a field hearing last week on port security at the Port of Los Angeles.

The hearing, titled Examining Physical Security and Cybersecurity at our Nation’s Ports, included testimony from representatives from the Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, several ports, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

“Today’s hearing highlighted the crucial role that cybersecurity plays in the overall security of our ports,” Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) said. “The ports are incredibly important to my district and the Inland Empire, and this hearing once again emphasized the importance of addressing cyber threats to protect our country’s critical information and infrastructure.”

Torres who introduced the Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017, which the recently House advanced, participated in the hearing.

Torres also noted the potential economic costs of a cyber-attack on U.S. ports.

“A recent study estimated that a shutdown at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long beach would cost the local economy $1 billion per day,” Torres said. “Now is the time to take proactive steps and protect our economic assets, we cannot afford to wait until it’s too late.”