The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Cyber Security (Executive Calendar)” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Senate section on pages S7914-S7915 on Dec. 21, 2020.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Cyber Security
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to express concern over a monumental breach to the Nation's national security infrastructure.
Last week, the Washington Post, among other publications, reported hacks of several government agencies by way of the SolarWinds platform over several months.
The New York Times, on the 17th of this month, had a headline that included these words: ``Officials Warn of `Grave Risk.' '' But in that report, the New York Times indicated that at least 40 companies, government agencies, and think tanks had been infiltrated. The infiltrated agencies include the Departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, Treasury, Commerce, Energy, and Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, as well as the National Institutes of Health. That is about seven different entities, if you include the Department of Energy as one entity, in the hacking of different parts of the Department, and there could be more.
All the reporting indicates that the hackers are affiliated with Russian intelligence. Russia has proven itself both capable and willing to invade and exploit our digital infrastructure for its own ends.
While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that Russia was behind this damaging breach of our systems, President Trump is casting doubt--
and that might be an understatement.
Even in the waning days of his administration, our national security continues to suffer at the hands of the President's deference to Vladimir Putin.
I have to say for the record, I hope this number changes, but only about 10 Republican Senators have expressed concerns. I hope that number grows exponentially in the next couple of days.
I have to ask: What if this breach occurred under a Democratic President--President Obama, for example? Would there be more than 10 statements or 11 or 12? This should be categorically, roundly condemned by every U.S. Senator of either party.
These hacks renew the urgency for additional resources for defensive cyber security across our government. This need is not a new one. In fact, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, C-I-S-A, was stood up within the Department of Homeland Security in 2018 precisely to shore up the U.S. Government's defenses against such hacks, such intrusions.
However, as we all know, just days after the 2020 Presidential election, President Trump fired CISA's Director, Chris Krebs, for contradicting the President's own false claims regarding the election.
The President has failed to take this hack, this attack on our security, this attack on our government seriously. This hack raises serious questions about the nature of cyber espionage and what constitutes hostile acts by another country.
These are questions I look forward to exploring as we learn more about the scope and nature of this latest breach. While both of our countries certainly engage in espionage, we must be vigilant in the protection of our own data and technology from foreign interference, and we need to hear more from Senators on both sides of the aisle about this attack.
The second and related issue is the reporting just in the last day or so, reports that the President may be seeking to invoke the Insurrection Act to impose martial law and refuse to step down from the Presidency next month. The reporting indicates that these discussions took place in the Oval Office.
I would argue--I think most Americans would argue--that even the mere discussion of martial law, the mere mention of it, the mere invocation of the whole notion of martial law is both harmful and dangerous.
Republican Senators, so far, have not condemned these actions that blatantly violate democratic norms. Maybe one, maybe two--I hope that number grows as well--but the silence from the majority party in the Senate on this report is deafening. I would hope that every Senator would roundly condemn the mere mention of martial law.
Attempting to seize election machines--that would be the effect of the invocation of martial law if it were operationalized--election machines in a number of States seized by the government of the United States.
I have got to ask the question: In America? In the United States of America? Is that what the White House is really discussing?
All that America expects--and it is not much--is that Senators of both parties would condemn, in the strongest possible terms, even the discussion of martial law.
The Army Secretary and the Army Chief of Staff released a joint statement clarifying, based on these dangerous actions proposed by the President's team, that ``there is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election.''
It is hard to believe that those officials in our government who help defend our country would even have to say that based upon what the reporting indicates.
So I hope that, even in this holiday season, it is made very clear by every Member of the U.S. Senate that this will not be tolerated and has to be condemned. We can't just say: Oh, well, it is another outrage, another insult. It should be condemned, just like the actions of the Russian Government should be condemned as well.
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