Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Chairman Andy Ogles announced on Apr. 23 a hearing scheduled for April 29, 2026, to examine whether the Department of Homeland Security has the necessary authorities, resources, and sector risk management structure to defend communications and information technology systems that support American economic and national security.
The upcoming hearing is considered significant due to increasing threats against telecommunications networks, data centers, and space-based systems. Recent incidents include the Chinese Communist Party's "Salt Typhoon" espionage campaign, which compromised telecom providers in over 80 countries and accessed more than one million American call records. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has called it one of the most consequential cyber espionage operations ever conducted against the United States.
In addition to these concerns, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps recently carried out strikes against U.S.-owned cloud computing facilities in the Middle East and named eighteen major American technology firms as future targets. In space, both China and Russia are reportedly testing offensive satellite capabilities that could disrupt commercial satellite systems used by businesses, civilians, and government agencies. Iran has also acquired a Chinese-built satellite for surveillance purposes targeting U.S. military installations.
"The widespread China-backed ‘Salt Typhoon’ intrusions are a ruthless attack from the Chinese Communist Party to desolate our telecommunications infrastructure. Our adversaries are actively seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in the subsea cables that keep us connected, the data centers that power the cloud, and the satellites that serve as the backbone of military operations," Ogles said. "They know that Americans depend on this infrastructure, yet they attack it anyway. DHS must effectively partner with other federal agencies and industry to shore up our defenses across sectors before the next attack. I look forward to hearing from private-sector witnesses on how this Committee can ensure the Department can crush these threats."
The hearing will take place at 310 Cannon House Office Building at 10:00 a.m., featuring witnesses including Robert Mayer from USTelecom — The Broadband Association; Sam Visner from Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center; retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery from Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and Scott Algeier from Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
Recent subcommittee activities have included hearings focused on national security risks posed by artificial intelligence technologies linked to China as well as oversight sessions with officials from CISA examining agency readiness against sophisticated cyber threats.
