Congressman Brown Renews Push to Aid Federal Employees Impacted by Cyber Attacks

Press Release

To commemorate National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) renewed his push to aid federal employees impacted by cyber attacks. In late July, Brown introduced the Cyber VICTIM (Valuing Individual Cybersecurity Through Interagency Measures) Act (H.R. 3403) that directs the President of the United States to designate a federal official as the Interagency Cyber Victim Response Coordinator. The Coordinator will ensure that the government following a cyber attack or data breach properly assists federal employees, who are often specifically targeted and more susceptible to an attack because of their occupation. The official will also be responsible for providing a report detailing the effects of a potential breach within 180 days, along with an annual report to Congress summarizing the office's response to attacks that have occurred throughout the federal government.

"Cyber security must be a priority as we work strengthen our national defense apparatus. We continue to fall victim to data breaches -- like the Equifax incident in May that exposed the information of nearly 146 million Americans and the 2015 attack where 21.5 million records were stolen from OPM -- that put people's livelihoods at risk," said Congressman Brown (D-MD). "National Cyber Security Awareness Month reminds us that as the Internet becomes more entrenched in our daily lives and the operations of the government, we must strive to prevent these attacks and guarantee an organized, effective response if attack does occur. We need to take commonsense steps to protect civil servants from data breaches, and ensure information theft does not become a further occupational hazard of federal employment."

"Unfortunately, federal employees are going to continue to be targeted by cyber-attacks because of the nature of their work and the information they access," Congressman Wittman (R-VA) said. "And while we should strive to prevent these attacks, we also have an obligation to ensure that our federal workers have the support and assistance they need in the event of an attack that compromises their personal information. In the wake of the Postal Service and OPM hacks, designating one official as Interagency Cyber Victim Response Coordinator is a commonsense step we can take to ensure our federal employees that there will be an organized, effective response to any cyber-attack."

"Our federal employees are often targeted for identity theft simply because they are public servants," Congressman Ruppersberger (D-MD) said. "We need to do much more to harden our cyber defenses and prevent data breaches like those that have affected agencies like OPM and the Postal Service but, in the meantime, we owe these hard-working men and women every resources available should they become victims. In keeping with my record in support of free credit monitoring and identity theft insurance for federal employees affected by a data breach, I am proud to support this latest effort."

"In our constantly-changing digital environment, it is imperative that the federal government be prepared to defend and respond to cyber threats and attacks," said Congressman Khanna (D-CA). "As we saw with this year's Equifax data breach -- which exposed the personal information of 146 million Americans -- we must not be complacent when it comes to cybersecurity. Federal employees are more likely targets of hackers, and it is our duty to ensure that they have the right resources to protect themselves before, during, and after an attack."

"I thank Rep. Anthony Brown for introducing this important legislation, which will establish a cyber victim coordinator and ensure the federal government can better assist federal employees whose data has been compromised. Following the data breach at OPM in 2015, we must do everything we can to safeguard federal employees' personal information and assist victims. This bill will help achieve that objective, and I hope House Republican leaders will bring it to the Floor for swift consideration," said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

"Two years ago, nearly 22 million current and former federal employees, job applicants, and their family members had their most personal and sensitive information stolen in one of the largest cyberattacks in U.S. history. Congressman Brown's legislation would provide for a coordinated federal response to these attacks and any future data breaches targeting federal workers. It is the government's responsibility to ensure that agencies can respond to these incidents and provide employees with assistance in as timely a manner as possible. This bill will help make that happen, and AFGE thanks Congressman Brown for introducing this important legislation," said AFGE President J. David Cox.

Representatives co-sponsoring the bill include:

Ro Khanna (CA), Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Rob Wittman (VA) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.).