Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the bipartisan Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act today to enhance the cyberattack readiness, response, and recovery of American agricultural infrastructure. The legislation would prioritize cybersecurity preparedness by establishing a network of five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers to strengthen national security measures and protect the United States’ food supply.
“America’s adversaries are seeking to exploit agricultural technologies and jeopardize our national security. As North Carolina’s top industry, I have seen the benefits that precision technology has on increasing agricultural output and boosting exports, but it takes just one bad actor to stop our producers from feeding America. I teamed up with Senator Cortez Masto to mitigate cyber vulnerabilities by developing defense technologies and training our workforce to eliminate threats targeting American agriculture,” said Senator Budd.
“Innovative farmers and ranchers in Nevada and across the country should be able to use new technology without fear of being targeted by a bad actor,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation will defend our agricultural sector from cyberattacks, promoting American national security and food security.”
“Agriculture and food systems are critical to the well-being of families, communities, and the nation,” said North Carolina A&T Chancellor James R. Martin II. “Having centers of excellence that focus on cybersecurity and agriculture would be a tremendous addition to the research, development, and collaborative efforts in which our land-grant university is already involved to protect the U.S. agricultural industry and advance American interests.”
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND
The Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act creates a national network of five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers, which will:
- Build a Regional Research Collaboration Network: Allow for more efficient and consistent communication between each Cybersecurity Center and local agricultural industries.
- Develop Technologies for the Agriculture Sector: Create testbeds to refine technologies and conduct attack and defense exercises to evaluate cybersecurity solutions for field deployment.
- Create Education and Training Programs: Provide training for the workforce necessary to develop and install cyber defense mechanisms.
- Prioritize Eliminating Threats from Foreign Adversaries: Ensure mitigation efforts are focused on eliminating threats from foreign countries of concern, like the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
###
