Press Releases

Washington, DC – Yesterday, as first reported by Fox New, Congressman Alford (MO-04) led 11 of his colleagues in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Director of Cyber Security Rob Joyce. The letter addressed the recent reports of hidden Chinese malware within American systems and the threat this poses to our national security. Specifically, the Representatives ask the following questions:

1. What is the extent of the Chinese cyber campaign(s) targeting U.S. military installations, and what specific critical U.S. infrastructure around U.S. military installations has been compromised? 
2. How long has the Biden Administration been aware of the cyber campaign against the targeted systems, and what steps have been taken to restrict their access and prevent future attacks? 
3. Given the access the Chinese hackers obtained, how damaging could the attack have been on U.S. military mobility and operations? 
4. What guardrails are in place to protect our military critical infrastructure, including our electrical grid, communications systems, and water supply, particularly in responding to a contingency in the Indo-Pacific? What are the shortfalls and what is the Administration doing to close these gaps? 

The following representatives were co-signers of the letter (11).  

• Robert J. Wittman (VA-01)
• Michael Waltz (FL-06)
• Elise Stefanik (NY-21)
• Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
• Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
• Jen Kiggans (VA-02)
• Cory Mills (FL-07)
• Nancy Mace (SC-01)
• James Moylan (GU-At-Large)
• Rich McCormick (GA-06)
• Joe Wilson (SC- 02)

Congressman Alford issued the following statement:

“The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest threat we face in over 30 years. The CCP has increasingly conducted cyber-attacks against U.S. installations and military infrastructure. We must ensure the proper guardrails are in place and eliminate any gaps in the event a conflict breaks out in the Indo-Pacific. 

I am proud to lead my colleagues in this letter to ensure the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency (NSA) provide answers to Congress on if Chinese malware is embedded in software operating our power grids, communications systems, and water distribution systems near our U.S. military installations.”

Congressman Robert J. Wittman added:

"Recent revelations about the Chinese Communist Party's insidious attempts to embed malware in critical infrastructure supporting U.S. military installations are deeply concerning. Congress needs comprehensive information from the Biden administration regarding the extent and impact of these CCP cyber campaigns. Failure to act decisively risks inviting further aggression from China, both domestically and in the Indo-Pacific region."

Chairwoman Elise Stefanik added: 

“We cannot allow our military readiness to be compromised. As the Biden Administration continues to pander to Communist China, the CCP routinely shows us they are actively working to undermine our institutions and threaten our national security with targeted cyber operations against our military bases with no fear of reprisal. Communist China needs to be held accountable and I will continue to fight to remove Chinese malign influence from our critical infrastructure sectors and improve the resiliency of U.S. military installations in the process.”

Congressman Michael Waltz said:

“The public reports that Chinese hackers may have infiltrated our military networks is both disturbing and detrimental to our national security. The Biden Administration owes the American public answers on how our they plan to safeguard our technology and military installations, and importantly how we’ll respond to these cyber-attacks.”

Congressman Doug Lamborn stated:

“Today I joined my colleagues to push for more information on the most recent reports of Chinese aggression on our own military installations. The Communist Chinese Party’s brazen actions to undermine our national security cannot go unaddressed. My colleagues and I are taking action to ensure Congress provides the oversight required to safeguard our nation against these nefarious malware activities.”

Media inquiries for Rep. Alford should be directed to Austin Higginbothamat austin.higginbotham@mail.house.gov.