Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022. Below are her remarks, as prepared for delivery.
Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney
Floor Statement for H.R. 4521 - America COMPETES Act of 2022
Feb. 2, 2022
I rise in support of H.R. 4521, the American COMPETES Act. As our country fights to emerge from this pandemic, the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration increased GDP by 5.7% in 2021, with last quarter clocking in at an impressive 6.9%.
But we cannot merely return to the pre-pandemic status quo, in which geopolitical adversaries like China threatened our industrial base, supply chains, intellectual property, technology security, and global leadership in innovation.
The America COMPETES Act will protect and enhance the competitive edge of America’s workers, businesses, and economy, which other nations are seeking to undermine. Nowhere are the intentions of our adversaries clearer than in the cyber realm. Over the past several years, the country has been rocked by major attacks by cybercriminals linked to China and Russia.
Just this morning, our Committee approved a sweeping bipartisan bill to modernize and improve the cybersecurity framework of the federal government. But these efforts will be hindered if we don’t have the right personnel in place to implement them at our federal agencies.
The America COMPETES Act will help address this by including H.R. 3599, a bipartisan bill by Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy Mace, which establishes a personnel rotation program for cybersecurity professionals at federal agencies.
The America COMPETES Act also includes H.R. 4469, a bill I led with Representatives Stephen Lynch and Jamie Raskin to ensure the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has the authority and resources it needs to protect civil liberties through oversight of artificial intelligence use by executive branch agencies.
The America COMPETES Act will ensure America can compete-and win-in the economy of the future, and it positions the federal government to help lead the way.
I support this important bill and yield back.
