Homeland Dems to DHS Sec. Kelly: Don’t Back Down on Protecting Election Infrastructure
(WASHINGTON) – Today, the Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on the Department’s January 2017 designation of election infrastructure as a critical infrastructure subsector and to seek more details from the Administration on its plans to work with states to secure election infrastructure after Intelligence officials confirmed Russia sought to interfere with the 2016 election.
In the letter, the members write:
We agree with you that “there is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than voting,” and we must protect against efforts to undermine public confidence in our cherished democratic institutions. There is no evidence that attempts to interfere in our elections – be it Russia, another State actor, or a non-State actor – are declining, and the cybersecurity threats to election infrastructure are only growing more complex. It is more important than ever that State and local election officials are able to rely on assistance from the Department of Homeland Security when they need it.
Toward that end, we urge you to not to back down from your commitment to honor the designation of election infrastructure as a critical infrastructure subsector, and we stand ready to assist you in your efforts to educate concerned States on the meaning of this designation. We look forward to working with you to help DHS do its part to ensure the integrity of our election systems.
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