| 00:00:00 | THE CYBER SECURITY BILL SPOKE WITH REPORTERS AFTER THE LEGISLATION FAILED TO CLEAR PROCEDURAL VOTE ON THE SENATE FLOOR. |
| 00:00:06 | FIRST WE HEAR FROM THE BILL'S SPONSORS. |
| 00:00:29 | >> GOOD MORNING. |
| 00:00:30 | SO A MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE SAID ON THIS VOTE THAT THEY WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT OUR NATION FROM CYBER ATTACK AND CYBER THEFT. |
| 00:00:41 | UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WAS SHORT OF THE 60 VOTES WE NEEDED TO PROCEED TO DEBATE THIS VERY IMPORTANT MEASURE. |
| 00:00:52 | AM I DISAPPOINTED? |
| 00:00:53 | YOU BET I AM. |
| 00:00:54 | AM I ANGRY? |
| 00:00:55 | YES, I AM. |
| 00:00:58 | BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE FAILED TO COME TOGETHER TO DEAL WITH A SERIOUS NATIONAL PROBLEM, TO FIX A PROBLEM ALL THE MORE SURPRISEING IN THIS CASE BECAUSE WHAT'S AT STAKE HERE IS THE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. |
| 00:01:15 | IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER SET OF POLITICAL ARGUMENT IN A CAMPAIGN. |
| 00:01:21 | THIS IS ABOUT WHAT EVERYBODY ACKNOWLEDGES IS RISING TO BE THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO AMERICA'S SECURITY IN THE YEARS AHEAD. |
| 00:01:30 | AND THAT IS THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT ADEQUATELY DEFENDED AGAINST CYBER ATTACK. |
| 00:01:38 | WHAT BROKE DOWN IN THIS CASE? |
| 00:01:40 | IT IS STANDARD STUFF. |
| 00:01:42 | FAILURE TO COMPROMISE. |
| 00:01:44 | I MUST SAY, WE FEEL THAT WE COMPROMISED QUITE A LOT. |
| 00:01:48 | FROM OUR ORIGINAL BILL. |
| 00:01:50 | A FAILURE TO CONTROL ONE'S IMPULSE TO SEE EVERY BILL THAT COMES BEFORE THE SENATE NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT AS NOTHING MORE THAN A VEHICLE TO PUT ON ONE'S FAVORITE POLITICAL ISSUE OR FAVORITE GOVERNMENTAL ISSUE. |
| 00:02:09 | UNRELATED TO THE CYBER SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES. |
| 00:02:14 | SO THIS IS A MOMENT OF DISAPPOINTMENT THAT I REALLY CANNOT CONCEAL. |
| 00:02:20 | BUT THE THREAT OF CYBER ATTACK IS SO REAL, SO URGENT AND SO CLEARLY GROWING THAT I AM NOT GOING TO BE PETULANT ABOUT THIS. |
| 00:02:32 | I'M NOT OPTIMISTIC. |
| 00:02:34 | BUT I'M GOING REMAIN OPEN THROUGH EVERY DAY OF THIS SESSION TO DOING WHAT THE MAJORITY LEADER SAID HE WANTED US TO DO WHICH IS TO COME UP WITH A FINITE LIST OF AMENDMENTS THAT ARE JERMAINE AND RELEVANT TO THE TOPIC OF CYBER SECURITY AND HE WOULD BRING THE BILL TO THE FLOOR. |
| 00:02:55 | SOME OF THE FOLKS ON THE OTHER SIDE, AGAIN, SAID TO US THAT THEY WANT TO DO THAT. |
| 00:03:00 | FRANKLY, WE SAID TO THEM IN ALL OUR CONVERSATIONS, WE STILL HAVEN'T HAD WHAT WE CALL HERE BILL LANGUAGE. |
| 00:03:10 | LANGUAGE OF AMENDMENTS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT TO CHANGE THE BILL. |
| 00:03:13 | THEY SAID THEY WILL WORK ON THAT. |
| 00:03:15 | THEY'LL SUBMIT THEM TO US AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL CONSIDER THEM. |
| 00:03:29 | I HOPE WE CAN GET BACK TO COMMON GROUND TO PROTECT AMERICA'S COMMON GROUND. |
| 00:03:33 | IT'S HARD TO SEE ANYTHING AS A FAILURE OF THE SENATE AND A SETBACK FOR NATIONAL SECURITY. |
| 00:03:43 | >> THANK YOU, MR. |
| 00:03:44 | CHAIRMAN. |
| 00:03:45 | WHAT MOST ASTONISHES ME ABOUT THE VOTE THAT WAS TAKEN ON THE CYBER SECURITY BILL TODAY IS THE LACK OF A SENSE OF URGENCY AMONG TOO MANY OF OUR COLLEAGUES. |
| 00:04:03 | WE OFTEN HEAR MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE BUT PARTICULARLY REPUBLICAN MEMBERS SAY WHY AREN'T WE LISTENING MORE TO THE GENERALS ON THE GROUND? |
| 00:04:15 | WELL, LISTEN TO WHAT THE GENERALS WHO HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS AREA HAVE TOLD US OVER AND OVER AGAIN. |
| 00:04:27 | AND, OF COURSE, THE GENERAL WITH THE MOST RESPONSIBILITY IS GENERAL KEITH ALEXANDER, THE HEAD OF CYBER COMMAND AND THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY. |
| 00:04:43 | HE HAS WRITTEN TO US OVER AND OVER AGAIN. |
| 00:04:47 | HE'S TESTIFIED. |
| 00:04:48 | AND JUST THIS WEEK HE WROTE TO SAY THAT THE CYBER THREAT FACING OUR NATION IS REAL AND DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ACTION. |
| 00:05:01 | THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. |
| 00:05:04 | WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD FURTHER DELAY. |
| 00:05:10 | SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY JANET IN ANAPOLITANO WROTE TO US TO SAY THAT THE THREAT OF A CYBER ATTACK WITH CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES IS THE GREATEST THREAT THAT WE FACE. |
| 00:05:27 | HOW CAN THE SENATE IGNORE THESE REPEATED WARNINGS FROM THE EXPERTS OF HOW AT RISK OUR NATIONAL SECURITY, OUR ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND, INDEED, OUR AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE IS? |
| 00:05:52 | IT JUST IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO ME THAT WE WOULD NOT PROCEED TO THIS BILL. |
| 00:05:59 | THERE CERTAINLY IS PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND. |
| 00:06:03 | BUT I BELIEVE WITH GOOD FAITH ON BOTH SIDES WE COULD HAVE COMPLETED ACTION ON THIS ISSUE. |
| 00:06:11 | AND LET ME JUST CLOSE BY SAYING THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. |
| 00:06:23 | I CAN NOT THINK OF ANOTHER AREA WHERE THE THREAT IS GREATER AND WE ARE LESS PREPARED. |
| 00:06:33 | AS GENERAL |
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