Gallego, Banks Call for Briefing on Iran Attacks on U.S. Water Facilities
WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) and Jim Banks (IN-03) sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas requesting a briefing about the protections DHS has or intends to put in place to protect the United States’ water facilities and other critical infrastructure from adversary disruption.
The letter comes as recent reporting from Politico details multiple hacks against U.S. water facilities—including an attack by the Iranian-linked Cyber Av3ngers against a water authority in Pennsylvania.
“Water facilities continue to be central to our nation’s critical infrastructure, and our water resources face many limitations. For example, as you may know, much of the American West is experiencing a historic, long-term drought that makes fortifying water supplies from vulnerabilities like adversary disruption efforts all the more important. Should a hack similar to the Pennsylvania incident occur in Arizona or other states that may lack sufficient water supply, it could disrupt operations across the region with devastating effects. Even as cities and towns work to use their water supply as efficiently as possible, water systems – especially those in smaller municipalities – may lack the infrastructure and funding to hold off large-scale cyber hacks,” the lawmakers write.
In light of the reporting by Politico, Reps. Gallego and Banks request Sec. Mayorkas answer the following questions:
- What action is your department currently taking to respond to this hack?
- What are the short-, medium-, and long-term disruptions that resulted from this hack?
- How are you coordinating with local officials and any relevant international allies and partners?
- What additional steps are you taking to protect our nation’s water facilities and other critical infrastructure from adversary disruption?
This is the second letter Reps. Gallego and Banks have sent to the Biden Administration requesting answers on the government’s role in holding Iran accountable for its actions against the U.S.
In November, the lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on the Administration to do more to hold Iran accountable for its illicit nuclear program and provide Congress with an update on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigation into the country.
The letter to Sec. Mayorkas is a continuation of Rep. Gallego’s efforts to contain Iran. He recently, with Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), called on Secretary Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to use the tools of the federal government at its disposal to stem the flow of illicit Iranian oil sales to China to halt Iran’s financing, arming, and training of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Rep. Gallego previously called for the freezing of Iranian assets, including the $6 billion that was recently unfrozen in a prisoner swap, and joined Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-08) in a letter calling for the Biden Administration to take specific actions on Iranian assets.