Rep. Carbajal and Colleagues Introduce Bill to Improve Cybersecurity Protections at Nation’s Ports

Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, along with Rep. Webster (FL-11), Chairman of the Subcommittee and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced the Protecting Investments in Our Ports Act.

This legislation would ensure that ports across the United States are taking the proper steps to protect against potential cybersecurity threats when buying such products with federal funding provided by the Port Infrastructure Development Program.

"As we've seen over the past few years, our ports are vital to maintaining an operational and fluid supply chain," said Ranking Member Carbajal. "Unfortunately, cyber-attacks at our ports are ever increasing and putting our supply chain at risk. I'm happy to support this bill which would strengthen port cybersecurity and ensure federal funds are going to recipients that safeguard our supply chain and goods."

"The threats posed by the introduction of new software and digital infrastructure continues to be a huge concern of mine,"said Chairman Webster. "We must ensure that ports continue to keep cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mind to insulate their operations against any potential attacks by those wishing to disrupt our supply chains. This legislation is an important step in doing just that."

"As technology continues to advance and global tensions rise, we must take steps to address the growing threat posed by adversaries looking to access sensitive information or disrupt supply chains at our ports,"said Sen. Cornyn. "This legislation would mitigate the risk of cyber-espionage by foreign countries and help ensure the digital infrastructure and technology at our ports is secure."

"This commonsense, bipartisan bill would help strengthen our nation's defenses against cyberattacks by making sure ports have the necessary digital infrastructure and safeguards in place to protect both U.S. national security and supply chains as goods move throughout our waterways,"said Sen. Peters, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports.

The legislation specifically amends the Port Infrastructure Development Program, a federal grant program administered by the Maritime Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, to include a requirement that applicants ensure their existing Facility Security Plans protect against any cybersecurity threats presented by software or digital infrastructure purchased with grant funding.

The legislation also allows applicants to include plans in their applications to protect against cybersecurity threats posed by these items and then subsequently update their Facility Security Plans based on requirements in current law.