WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Congressional Cyberspace Solarium Commission, today backed the introduction of the Securing Systemically Important Critical Infrastructure Act by Representatives John Katko (R-NY) and Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) - observing that the Representatives’ shared focus on this issue is precisely what the United States needs as the risks to our critical infrastructure become more apparent every day.

“The passage of a law codifying systemically important critical infrastructure (SICI) in law and establishing a methodology for identifying SICI is a critical first step in reimagining the social contract between the Federal government and our most important economic, national security, and societal assets,” said Senator King. “However, Congress must continue to do its utmost to ensure that the executive branch, spearheaded by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Cyber Director, are given the direction, authorities, and resources to implement a systematic approach to protecting SICI entities.”

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Senator King is recognized as one of Congress’s leading experts on cyberdefense and a strong advocate for a forward-thinking cyberstrategy that emphasizes layered cyberdeterrence. He celebrated the swearing-in of former CSC commissioner, Chris Inglis, as the inaugural National Cyber Director (NCD). The NCD was included in the 25 bipartisan cybersecurity recommendations from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission passed through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which Senator King voted for.

The CSC was established by statute in the 2019 NDAA, officially launched in April 2019, and will continue to execute its statutory mission through December 2021 – most recently announcing its “progress report” with 75 percent of its recommendations either having become policy or nearly there. The Commissioners convened nearly every Monday that Congress was in session for a year, and its staff conducted more than 400 engagements, drawing upon the expertise of corporate leaders, federal, state and local officials, academics, and cybersecurity experts. The meetings and the ensuing report sought to strengthen America’s posture in cyberspace and identify opportunities to improve our national preparedness to defend ourselves against cyberattacks.