Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik joined her House colleagues, led by Rep. Jim Baird (IN-04), in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to hold Russia, China, and other foreign adversaries accountable for their recent cyberattacks on the U.S. food supply.
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.
In part, the letter reads: “Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are an unacceptable, serious threat to the American way of life and democracy, and they must end immediately. We can no longer tolerate the complicity of our adversaries in these attacks, nor the tools and resources that enable them. The American people demand security and confidence in our nation’s ability to manage acts of hostility by outside influences. We call on your urgent action to resolve this matter and ensure America’s national security.”
“Our nation’s food security is a part of our national security – and it must be protected against the malign activities of our adversaries who seek to disrupt it,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “I am calling on the Biden Administration to resolve these issues and hold China and Russia accountable for their involvement in the recent cyberattacks that seek to dismantle the U.S. food supply.”
