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Washington, D.C.— Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) led his colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging accountability of foreign adversaries for recent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and our food system, and to find a reasonable solution to prevent future attacks.

“Ransomware of any kind poses a dangerous threat to key components of America’s critical infrastructure, including our food supply system,” said Congressman Baird.  “Attacks on segments of our food supply chain can have a devastating and wide-ranging impact on our nation, which is why I am calling on the Biden Administration to recognize these attacks for what they truly are: egregious and legitimate threats to America’s national security. The American people deserve to have confidence in our nation’s ability to manage acts of hostility from outside influences, which is why chronic offenders like China and Russia must be held accountable.”

“Over the past several months, we have suffered multiple cyberattacks on our nation’s critical infrastructure, held at ransom by foreign bad actors,” said Congressman Bost. “As we continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that our food supply chains remain safe and secure. These attacks are a threat to our national security and our very way of life. We must hold these cyber terrorists accountable to their actions and ensure that these attacks end immediately.”

“Our agriculture sector is critical infrastructure and it is vital to our national security that we safeguard our food supply,” said Congressman Crawford. “Cyberattacks like the one experienced by JBS are increasing at an alarming rate. I urge the Biden Administration to investigate and take a strong stance against nations involved to ensure that these attacks stop.”

“Over the past few years, halting disruptions of our food supply chain have hearkened Americans’ watchful eyes. From the ranch to the grocery store, very rarely has the significance of food security resonated across the entire agriculture industry at a time like it is now. There is no greater threat to national security than a threat to our food supply chain,” said Congressman Lucas. “As cyberattacks are becoming more and more prevalent, we must address and protect America’s critical infrastructure- whether it be our food, energy, or financial systems. Ensuring we build upon existing cyber capabilities and strengthening the cyber resiliency of our industries is critical to lessening the potential harm to America’s economy and our daily lives. I implore President Biden and his Administration to work with Congress and across different agencies to better prepare and mitigate future attacks on our food supply chain and other critical infrastructure industries.”

“The JBS cyberattack exposed startling security vulnerabilities in our food supply chain,” said Congressman Feenstra. “That is why President Biden must do more to protect our supply chain from national security threats and take necessary actions to hold bad actors accountable. A lackluster response by this administration will send the wrong message to adversaries around the world.”

“The cyberattack against JBS USA must be met with the same priority as an act of terrorism – because that’s exactly what it was,” said Congresswoman Fischbach. “Any interruption to our food supply chain can have devastating consequences on our economy and national security, and it is incumbent on our government to do everything in its power to make clear to the world that there are severe consequences for such acts. Cyberattacks against the American people cannot and will not stand.”

“The recent cyberattack on JBS USA shows just how damaging it can be if our country doesn’t send a strong message to foreign governments who attack us via ransomware,” said Congressman Steube. “Disruptions to our food supply chain are a national security risk as it puts our economy, health, and stability at risk. All nations who attempt to disrupt our supply chains need to be held accountable for their crimes.”

“The recent cyberattack on JBS USA underscores that food supply chain security is national security,” said Congressman Jacobs. “Our nation relies heavily on the sustained processing capacity of our producers - we cannot stand by as foreign adversaries continually allow for organized criminals to carry out cyber-attacks on our nation. I urge the Biden administration to take swift and proportional action to hold these bad actors accountable and ensure our critical infrastructure is protected from future attacks.”

“The recent JBS Pork ransomware attack should be yet another wake-up call to the Biden Administration,” said Congresswoman Hinson. “This attack on our food supply chain, in addition to other recent cyberattacks, poses a serious and growing threat to our national security that must be proactively addressed. We shouldn’t just wait for the next attack—we have to put our adversaries on notice that any attempt to undermine the U.S. will not be tolerated.”

“As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I have closely watched the recent cyberattacks that targeted JBS facilities across the country, including in my hometown of Ottumwa. Agriculture is one of the strongest drivers of Iowa’s economy and threats like these are a real danger to the agricultural supply chain that affects farmers, producers, distributors, and consumers,” said Congresswoman Miller-Meeks. “As the former Director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I have seen how critical cybersecurity is in protecting private health data, contact tracing, and keeping our hospitals and clinics up and running to serve our communities. It is incumbent upon all of us to take cybersecurity seriously and invest in increasing our cybersecurity infrastructure.”

“America’s commitment to national security ought not to end where cyberspace begins,” said Congressman Cawthorn. “In today’s modern landscape, cybersecurity represents the front line of an emerging battlefield. This administration must do better, and I join my colleagues in calling for urgent action from the Biden Administration to shore up American industries from the threat of cyber-attack.”

Background:

JBS USA is America’s largest meatpacker. Over Memorial Day weekend they were hacked with a ransomware attack that shut down the company’s operations across North America until they paid the Russian hacking group REvil a ransom of $11 million. Just like the similar recent attack on the Colonia Pipeline, NYC Subway system, and countless hospital systems across the country, these attacks on America’s essential infrastructure are unacceptable attacks on our national security, and President Biden must hold these adversaries accountable.

These attacks have the ability to collapse markets, stir panic amongst Americans, and to steal intellectual property or sensitive information. When unchecked by the nations they emanate from, these attacks are thinly vailed acts of aggression by our adversaries seeking to weaken our economy, create civil unrest, and corrupt our critical infrastructure. These attacks on our food system have a particular ability to incite these tendencies and have a long-lasting distorting impact on agricultural markets, and our food security.

The stability of the U.S. domestic food system is critical, not only as a foundation of the American economy and a means to avoid the devastations of famine, but also as a necessary tool in resourcing the nutritional needs of our citizenry and military personnel. As the Biden Administration and the federal government continue to investigate and respond to this attack, it’s critical that they recognize any future attacks on segments of the food supply chain as the national security threats they really are.