Bennie Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4611) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue guidance with respect to certain information and communications technology or services contracts, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4611, the DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act of 2021. With each passing day, we see cyberattacks becoming increasingly more frequent and sophisticated, posing a significant threat to homeland security and the U.S. economy. The tactics cybercriminals use to steal information or disrupt access to critical information systems are ever evolving. Many prey upon vulnerabilities within the victim's security measures or the victim's software supply chain. The ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline and the attempted hack of a water treatment plan in Oldsmar, Florida, earlier this year, show just how easily critical infrastructure systems can be compromised. Last year's compromise of the SolarWinds Orion software supply chain demonstrated how widespread and damaging such attacks can be. In the SolarWinds attack, cybercriminals were able to add malicious code to a commercial software product that was subsequently downloaded by several Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. As the lead Federal agency for cybersecurity, it is important that DHS lead by example, aggressively protecting its own networks. To that end, H.R. 4611 would enhance the Department's ability to protect its networks by modernizing how it buys information and communications technology or services. H.R. 4611 directs DHS to issue Department-wide guidance to improve visibility into the supply chain for software purchased from new and existing contractors. Specifically, under this legislation, contractors would have to provide a bill of materials that identifies each part or component of the software supplied to DHS and take steps to ensure that each item is free from known security vulnerabilities or defects. The bill of materials process is akin to the listing of ingredients on a package of food. Once DHS has this detailed supply chain information, it will have far greater visibility into what it is purchasing and installing on its networks. With this information, DHS can take more timely action to mitigate risks associated with software on its network. Importantly, H.R. 4611, which was introduced by my colleague from New York (Mr. Torres), requires DHS to instruct personnel on how to enforce the new requirements to hold contractors accountable. Finally, the bill requires the Government Accountability Office to review the department-wide guidance and assess how it aligns with President Biden's recent executive order on improving the Nation's cybersecurity. As the President stated in this order, the Federal Government must take decisive steps to modernize its approach to cybersecurity to keep pace with today's dynamic and increasingly sophisticated cyber threat environment. I could not agree more. Enactment of H.R. 4611 would be a decisive step toward improving DHS's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to cyberattacks on its own networks. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the vice chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. As the lead Federal agency for cybersecurity, DHS has taken steps to increase public awareness of software vulnerabilities routinely exploited by malicious cyber actors. To identify and manage these types of vulnerabilities on its own network, DHS needs better visibility into the supply chains of the software it procures. Enactment of H.R. 4611 would ensure that DHS has access to the information it needs to enhance its ability to manage the risks to its own networks. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4611, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, in the past few weeks, millions of students have returned to school across the country. The range of public health, safety, and security risks that schools face today is truly astounding. In recent years, schools have increasingly been subjected to ransomware attacks where cybercriminals lock networks and demand ransom payments, sometimes while threatening to release sensitive information, including students' personal data. According to the K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center, in 2020 alone, there were over 480 publicly disclosed cyber incidents at schools in the United States, an 18 percent increase over the previous year. Notably, the rate of such incidents increased in the second half of last year as COVID-19 forced schools to shift to virtual learning, creating new risks, such as the disruption of online classes and online school meetings. The impacts of ransomware attacks on schools have included the cancellation of classes, the release of sensitive information, like the name of a 9-year-old student being evaluated for a disability, and costs as high as $7.7 million for Baltimore County schools to respond to and recover from a November 2020 attack. With many schools still operating under virtual or hybrid conditions because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerabilities to such cyberattacks are even greater. In December, the FBI Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center released a joint cybersecurity advisory to alert schools to the increase in cyber threats and provide best practices on how to reduce the risk of such incidents. To further assist K-12 schools, we must do more to help schools guard against cyber threats. S. 1917, the K-12 Cybersecurity Act, introduced by Senator Gary Peters from Michigan, requires CISA to conduct a study of the cybersecurity risks facing K-12 educational institutions and develop recommendations based on that study. By developing an online training tool kit for schools, and making the study and recommendations publicly available, CISA will be able to provide schools with targeted information to better protect their networks and reduce their cybersecurity risk. An identical version of this legislation was introduced in the House by the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) and cosponsored by Representatives Matsui, Slotkin, Garbarino, and Clyde. The House measure was reported favorably by the Homeland Security Committee by voice vote in July. Passing S. 1917 today would send this bill to the President for signature, allowing CISA to begin this important work to better secure our schools. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1917) to establish a K-12 education cybersecurity initiative, and for other purposes.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, while we are in the process of getting the sponsor of this legislation prepared to give his comments, let me say that we all have been involved in making sure that our schools are as safe as possible. Clearly, this legislation, as offered by Senator Peters and Representative Langevin and others, is integral to making sure that our schools are kept as safe as possible from cyberattacks. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), the sponsor of the House version of this bill.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. With sophisticated cybercriminals operating overseas launching ransomware attacks on our schools, it is essential that the Federal Government step up efforts to support the cybersecurity of our schools. Without more assistance, many of our Nation's school districts will continue to be vulnerable, as many lack the cyber expertise to defend against these incidents. Enactment of the K-12 Cybersecurity Act would enhance the technical support provided by CISA to schools to help better protect school IT networks. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1917, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the pilot program authorized under H.R. 4094 is intended to provide TSA and its international aviation security partners with an opportunity to streamline travel and enhance security. Importantly, H.R. 4094 includes essential security guardrails to ensure that the pilot is carried out in a way that does not result in lessened security standards regarding, for example, the carriage of small knives on planes or the transfer of upstream passengers without rescreening. That is why the legislation, which was introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), received bipartisan support when it was approved by the Committee on Homeland Security in July. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, DHS obligated the $20 billion on goods and services in fiscal year 2020, making it the fourth highest spending civilian agency in the Federal Government. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the Department's funds are well spent. Enactment of H.R. 4363 would provide greater transparency into the Department's contract awards and enable better oversight of DHS's spending. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4363, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4363, the DHS Contract Reporting Act of the 2021. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Homeland Security spends billions of dollars each year to acquire goods and services needed to carry out its missions. It purchases everything from disaster relief supplies to passenger screening equipment to software designed to protect Federal Government networks from cyber threats. The Department's Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office have consistently identified challenges with respect to DHS contract management efforts. For instance, the DHS Inspector General has identified instances where FEMA awarded contracts to inexperienced vendors that were unable to deliver critical supplies in response to major disasters. In June 2020, GAO determined that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had misspent funding that Congress specifically appropriated for migrant medical care and related supplies. H.R. 4363 seeks to improve visibility in DHS' contract awards by requiring daily reporting of contract awards on the Department's public website. The reports are to include key information about the award, such as the purpose of the contract and where work is expected to be performed. The reports are also to include information about the award recipient, such as the name of the company and whether it is considered a small business. H.R. 4363 has bipartisan support and was reported out of committee by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) for introducing this bill that seeks to ensure the integrity and security of the drone systems that the Department of Homeland Security operates. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4682, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4682, the Unmanned Aerial Security Act. Mr. Speaker, to help carry out many of its many missions, the Department of Homeland Security has increasingly come to rely on drones. For instance, DHS utilizes drones to get ``eyes in the sky'' to make timely assessments about the extent of damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters in instances in where FEMA cannot easily deploy personnel to affected areas by ground. In remote parts of the land border, DHS uses this technology to detect and prevent illicit drug activities. With so many unmanned aerial systems in the marketplace today developed in nations that are considered foreign adversaries, there are legitimate security concerns about the integrity of data they collect. In fact, recent reports suggest that Chinese-manufactured drones might be compromised and used to send sensitive information to the Chinese Government. In response to security concerns, the Departments of Interior and Defense have taken steps to limit their use of foreign- made drones. H.R. 4682, the Unmanned Aerial Security Act, would direct the Department of Homeland Security to take similar protective measures. It would prohibit DHS from purchasing or using drone systems manufactured in a foreign country that is deemed to be an adversary by either the intelligence community's Annual Threat Assessment or the Secretary of Homeland Security. Importantly, H.R. 4682 does allow the DHS Secretary to waive the prohibition, case by case, in certain circumstances, such as for counter-drone research, testing, development, training, or for certain intelligence operations. H.R. 4682 has bipartisan support and was reported out of committee by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's children need our help. Natural disasters have impacted one in three Americans. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, over 5.5 million children have tested positive, and conditions are not trending in the right direction. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, last week, with kids back at school, the number of infected children had exponentially risen to the third highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. As a partner to schools, which are critical to infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security has a critical mission to play in helping to protect children. To do so effectively, it is critical that children's unique needs are front and center in DHS programs and policies. Enactment of the Homeland Security for Children Act will do just that. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4426, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, during disasters, children are uniquely vulnerable to physical and emotional harm. Sixteen years ago, Hurricane Katrina opened our eyes to the disproportionate consequences of disasters on our Nation's children. It uprooted 300,000 children, forcing them to enroll in new schools, and separated 5,000 children from their families, some for months. Drawing on the lessons from Katrina, the National Commission on Children and Disasters in 2010 issued recommendations to better protect children during catastrophes. To date, fewer than a quarter of those recommendations have been implemented. Children today face a diverse range of homeland security challenges that impact their lives. We have seen COVID-19, school shootings, hurricanes, and wildfires disrupt access to education and have far- reaching impacts on the lives of children. According to a study published this week, children today will experience three times as many climate-related disasters as their grandparents. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a Washington Post article on the consequences of climate change for children. [From The Washington Post] Today's Kids Will Live Through Three Times as Many Climate Disasters as Their Grandparents, Study Says (By Sarah Kaplan, September 27, 2021) Adriana Bottino-Poage is 6 years old, with cherub cheeks and curls that bounce when she laughs. She likes soccer, art and visiting the library. She dreams of being a scientist and inventing a robot that can pull pollution out of the air. She wants to become the kind of grownup who can help the world. Yet human actions have made the world a far more dangerous place for Adriana to grow up, according to a first-of-its- kind study of the impacts of climate change across generations. If the planet continues to warm on its current trajectory, the average 6-year-old will live through roughly three times as many climate disasters as their grandparents, the study finds. They will see twice as many wildfires, 1.7 times as many tropical cyclones, 3.4 times more river floods, 2.5 times more crop failures and 2.3 times as many droughts as someone born in 1960. These findings, published this week in the journal Science, are the result of a massive effort to quantify what lead author Wim Thiery calls the ``intergenerational inequality'' of climate change. Drawing on multiple climate and demographic models, Thiery and 36 colleagues compared the risks faced by previous generations to the number of extreme events today's children will witness in their lifetimes. Unless world leaders agree on more ambitious policies when they meet for the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, this fall, the study says, today's children will be exposed to an average of five times more disasters than if they lived 150 years ago. The changes are especially dramatic in developing nations; infants in sub-Saharan Africa are projected to live through 50 to 54 times as many heat waves as someone born in the preindustrial era. The disparities underscore how the worst effects of climate change will be experienced in places that contributed least to warming, by people who have had little say in the policies that allow continued emissions to occur, Thiery said. More than half of all greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were generated after 1990, meaning that most of the disasters today's children will experience can be linked to emissions produced during their parents' lifetimes. ``Young people are being hit by climate crisis but are not in position to make decisions,'' he said. ``While the people who can make the change happen will not face the consequences.'' Aggressive efforts to curb fossil fuel use and other planet-warming activities can still dramatically improve the outlook for today's children, he added. If people manage to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, newborns' risk of extreme heat exposure will fall almost by half. They could see 11 percent fewer crop failures, 27 percent fewer droughts and almost a third as many river floods than if emissions continue unabated. But the world is nowhere near meeting that 1.5 degree target. A U.N. report published earlier this month warned that, based on countries' current climate pledges, greenhouse gas emissions could actually increase by 16 percent by the end of the decade. That would put the planet on track to warm by 2.7 degrees Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. This makes Adriana angry. The Woodbridge, Va., first-grader already worries about the wildfires in California, where her half brother lives. She has heard about islands being inundated by rising seas, caught glimpses of hurricanes and droughts on the news. Meanwhile, adults ``don't listen, and they keep doing it and keep making the Earth hotter'' she added. ``Everything will keep getting worse and worse until I grow up. Somebody has to do something.'' The Science paper was partly inspired by Thiery's three sons, who are 7, 5 and 2. But its implications are not restricted to children. Anyone under 40, he said, is destined to live a life of unprecedented disaster exposure, experiencing rates of extreme events that would have just a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening in a preindustrial world. ``It used to be a story of, like, `yeah we have to limit global warming because of grandchildren,' `` he said. ``This study is making clear that climate change has arrived. It's everywhere.'' The numbers provided in the study are almost certainly an underestimate, said co-author Joeri Rogelj, director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London. Data limitations, and the complexity of the analysis, meant the scientists didn't assess the increased risk of some hazards, such as coastal flooding from sea level rise. The study also doesn't take into account the increased severity of many events; it only looks at frequency. On the other hand, he noted, countries also have a chance to adapt to the changes that are coming. If the world invests in making communities safer--for example, installing flood barriers, adopting fire-safe building codes, providing shelter for people at risk from deadly heat--disasters don't have to be as destructive for future generations as they are for people today. ``Our aim is for this not to be the conclusion of this debate,'' Rogelj said, ``but for this to be the start of looking at the lived experience of children being born today.'' Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology who was not involved in the new research, called it a ``robust study'' based on established findings from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As a scientist, Cobb said, she was unsurprised by the results. But Cobb is also a mother to four children. Reading the report through that lens, she said, ``it brings into sharp focus what so many economic models of climate change impacts fail to capture--the vast toll of human suffering that is hanging in the balance with our emissions choices this decade.'' She added: ``The moral weight of this moment is almost unbearable.'' In a report published in conjunction with Thiery's findings, Save the Children International called on world leaders to make the changes necessary to meet the 1.5 degree Celsius target. Wealthy nations must also follow through on their unmet pledge to give $100 billion per year to help low- income countries curb their own emissions and adapt to changes that are already underway, the group said. Yolande Wright, who directs the nonprofit's climate efforts, also hopes the findings will bolster legal efforts to force climate action on behalf of children. Last year, a federal appeals court threw out a case brought by 21 American young people who argued that the government's failure to act on climate change was a violation of their rights. Similar cases have been filed in Portugal, Peru and elsewhere. ``Now that we can really quantify how a child in their lifetime will see so many more of these extreme events . . . it helps make the case,'' Wright said. Environmental attorney Dan Galpern, general counsel and director of Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative, agreed that ``anticipatory research'' like this can help establish governments' and corporations' liability for real harms experienced by kids. Young people already say climate change has touched their lives and harmed their mental health. In a recent survey of 16- to 25-year-olds, scientists found that three quarters of respondents feared the future and more than half believed they would have less opportunity than their parents. Nearly 60 percent said their governments had betrayed them and future generations--making them feel even more anxious. ``The future for me and everyone who comes after is so insecure,'' said Emanuel Smari Nielsen, a 14-year-old climate activist from Norway. ``When politicians and those with power do not do anything, it makes me feel tired. It almost makes me angry.'' Adriana, the 6-year-old, said she feels ``super nervous'' when she thinks about what the future might hold. In those moments, there's nothing that helps her feel better. ``I just wait till I'm done thinking about it,'' she said. Experts say one way to help children cope with climate anxiety is to help them feel empowered to do something about it. The Save the Children report calls for communities, countries and global institutions like the U.N. to give young people a greater role in setting climate policy. Cormac Buck, an 8-year-old from Savannah, Ga., has decided to stop eating meat (except for the occasional chicken nugget). He is part of a group of kids at his school who have asked teachers and administrators to use fewer fossil fuels. ``Sometimes I hear some depressing things happening, like some animals because of climate change are really close to extinction . . . and I feel sad,'' he said. ``And then I normally try to think of a way to stop that from happening again.'' And adults must earn back children's trust, Thiery said, by making the dramatic emissions reductions that have been so long delayed. Our choices now will determine whether kids grow up in a world with four times as many heat waves or seven times as many heat waves, a world with occasional crop failures or chronic food shortages. ``We can still avoid the worst consequences,'' he said. ``That is what gives me strength as a father . . . Their future is in our hands.''

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, the safety of our children is central to our country's well-being, and we must ensure that, for its part, the Department of Homeland Security is equipped to consider these needs. The Homeland Security for Children Act would ensure the unique needs of children are taken into account throughout the Department by mandating the DHS Secretary direct all components and offices to consider children when creating policies and implementing programs. It specifically directs the Department to seek feedback from organizations that represent children when developing and carrying out policies and programs. H.R. 4426 would also permanently authorize a ``children's technical expert'' within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to prioritize the interests of children in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives. Lastly, the legislation, as introduced by my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) would require DHS to report to Congress on the Department's work to incorporate children's interests throughout all its work. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4426, the Homeland Security for Children Act, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC, September 23, 2021. Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives. Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Thompson: I write concerning H.R. 4426, the Homeland Security for Children Act. There are certain provisions in this legislation that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 4426, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to forgo action on the bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I also request that you urge the Speaker to name members of this Committee to any conference committee which is named to consider such provisions. Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the committee report on H.R. 4426 and into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Sincerely, Peter A. Defazio, Chair.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Speaker, from the 2016 Bastille Day truck attack in France to the 2017 deadly car ramming in Charlottesville to the 2017 attack that took the lives of Darren Drake and seven others, we have seen the use of vehicles to carry out terrorist attacks become disturbingly common. Our Nation faces a complex and evolving threat landscape. But the threat of vehicle-ramming attacks is not going away. As long as would-be terrorists seek to use rental vehicles as weapons of terror, we must provide rental dealers with the ability to do their part. I urge my colleagues to support the Darren Drake Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), the sponsor of this bill.