U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) commended the Obama administration on Tuesday for announcing that it would consider removing cybersecurity technologies from an export control list under the Wassenaar Arrangement.
Negotiated in 2013, the Wassenaar Arrangement fosters transparency and responsibility in the transfer of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies between states, with a goal of stopping terrorists from acquiring them and while preventing destabilizing accumulations.
Ratcliffe and U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), who previously co-chaired a joint hearing on renegotiation of the agreement, applauded the administration’s announcement on Tuesday in a joint statement.
“We would like to commend the administration’s decision to submit a proposal to the Wassenaar Arrangement to renegotiate the 2013 export control on cybersecurity technologies,” Ratcliffe and Hurd said. “We appreciate the departments of state, commerce and homeland security for actively engaging with Congress on this important issue that affects the cybersecurity posture of the United States. It is our hope that the United States’ delegation to the Wassenaar Arrangement will successfully obtain a consensus on its proposal, which should address a substantial share of the bipartisan concerns expressed at our January hearing.”
The congressmen added that they would continue to monitor progress of the renegotiation and thanked the tech industry for its responsiveness on the matter.