| Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2019)—This week, the Subcommittee on National Security held a hearing on "Securing U.S. Election Infrastructure and Protecting Political Discourse." TAKEAWAYS - Subcommittee Chairman Stephen F. Lynch emphasized that protecting the integrity of our democratic process is critical to safeguarding public confidence in U.S. election outcomes and ensuring a peaceful transition of power.
- Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub and Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin highlighted the need for greater congressional oversight of social media companies and information technology platforms to improve transparency about how, and by whom, political and campaign advertisements are financed.
- Chair Weintraub also testified that hidden money from foreign sources represents a significant vulnerability for American democracy.
- Election Assistance Commission Chair Christy McCormick spoke about the need for additional resources and personnel at her agency as they are "strained to the breaking point" in their work with state and local officials to secure election systems.
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs testified that "auditability is a key tenant of cybersecurity" and that it is important to get "systems that don't have paper out, and systems with paper in." Similarly, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Galvin explained how his state uses a paper ballot system to serve as a backup in case electronic voting machines fail or are breached.
- Representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Google testified about their improved information-sharing relationships with federal law enforcement since the 2016 election, but emphasized the need for continued coordination as our adversaries' information operations and tactics evolve.
WITNESSES Panel One The Honorable Christopher Krebs Director Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security Adam Hickey Deputy Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division U.S. Department of Justice The Honorable Christy McCormick Chair U.S. Election Assistance Commission The Honorable Ellen L. Weintraub Chair U.S. Federal Election Commission Panel Two The Honorable Bill Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth State of Massachusetts Richard Salgado Director of Law Enforcement and Information Security Google Nathaniel Gleicher Head of Cybersecurity Policy Facebook Kevin Kane Public Policy Manager Twitter VIDEOS Watch Rep. Lynch's opening statement. Watch Chairman Cummings' question line. Watch Rep. Wasserman-Schultz's question line. Watch Rep. Rouda's question line. | 