Garbarino calls cybersecurity executive order to secure nation’s ports ‘long overdue,’ warns of threats

U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) gave a measured response to an executive order signed on Feb. 21 by President Joe Biden aimed at better securing the nation’s ports from potential cyberattacks.

“While I am pleased to see the administration finally prioritizing the cybersecurity of U.S. ports, especially in light of heightened concerns over technology employed by Chinese-manufactured cranes, this action is long overdue,” said Rep. Garbarino, who chairs the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection. 

The congressman said that members of Congress have been raising the alarm about this threat since 2022. Last year, in fact, he and other members of the U.S. Homeland Security Committee sent multiple letters to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security highlighting their concerns and urging action. 

“Maritime port security is vital to our national security,” Rep. Garbarino said. “The presence of this technology in U.S. ports significantly increases the cybersecurity risk to business operations systems and terminal industrial control systems.”

Biden’s executive order was released Wednesday alongside a series of additional actions that the administration says will strengthen maritime cybersecurity, fortify the nation’s supply chains and strengthen the United States industrial base, according to the White House.

The Biden administration also announced its intent to bring domestic onshore manufacturing capacity back to America to provide safe, secure cranes to U.S. ports, thanks to an over $20 billion investment in U.S. port infrastructure under President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. 

“The Chinese Communist Party continues to subvert U.S. economic and national security interests through the use of CCP-manufactured technology at our ports, so while this is a positive step forward, the administration must ensure that it is more proactively mitigating these security risks and bolstering our cyber preparedness against malign Chinese actions going forward,” said Rep. Garbarino.