Should Gov’t Agencies Form a Council That Protects the Federal Supply Chain From National Security Threats? (H.R. 6430)

What is H.R. 6430?

(Updated March 11, 2019)

This bill ― the Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act — would establish an inter-agency Federal Information Technology Acquisition Security Council in order to protect the federal supply chain from foreign suppliers that might undermine national security. It would establish the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Security Council, which would be under the Office of Management and Budget. Additionally, it would create another inter-agency initiative, the Critical Information Technology Supply Chain Risk Evaluation Board, that would be led by the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS).

Argument in favor

This bill would protect the Dept. of Homeland Security’s supply chain from companies affiliated with foreign governments that could seek to undermine U.S. national security.

Argument opposed

There are already steps that the Dept. of Homeland Security and other agencies can take to protect their supply chains that don’t require congressional action.

Impact

Dept. of Homeland Security; Federal Law Enforcement.

Cost of H.R. 6430

The CBO estimates that enacting the bill would not significantly affect spending by DHS in any fiscal year because the department could implement the bill with minimal additional personnel.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. Peter King (R-NY) introduced this bill to secure the DHS supply chain from suppliers that may seek to undermine U.S. national security:  

“There is no question that the nation-states and criminal actors are constantly trying to exploit the United States government and private sector systems to steal information or insert potentially harmful hardware or software. The recent cases involving Kaspersky, ZTE and Huawei underscore the threats posed to the Federal supply chain.”

“But most importantly this committee needs to know that additional resources and supports are needed by Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Program to carry out its mission effectively,” said Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY). “As I understand, there are only two employees dedicated to the SCRM Program. That seems completely inadequate given the task ahead.”

Additionally, Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) points out that DHS doesn’t have the right authorizations to manage risk effectively:

“Under the regulations governing Federal procurement, DHS maintains limited authorities to terminate procurement contracts for unforeseen circumstances and to bar irresponsible entities from doing future business with the Federal government for up to three years.”

This legislation passed the House Homeland Security Committee unanimously and has the support of seven bipartisan cosponsors, including four Democrats and three Republicans. The Government Accountability Office  has recommended changes to the DHS supply chain that are contained in this bill.

Media:

• CBO Cost Estimate
  
• MeriTalk
  
• Government Accountability Office