NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke announced on Monday her appointment to chair of the United States House of Representatives’ Homeland Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation Subcommittee, under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee legislates and oversees programmes and issue areas of the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) mission in cybersecurity, infrastructure protection and promoting security technologies.

It will enhance greater collaboration on cybersecurity across the 16 critical infrastructure sectors and the sharing of cyber threat information between the private sector and federal, state and local partners, said Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.

She said the subcommittee will seek to increase DHS’s ability to protect federal networks, improve the protection of the nation’s critical assets, and ensure the essential development of technology solutions for emerging threats.

“I am honoured to serve as chair of the Homeland Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation Subcommittee,” said Clarke, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York. “The salient issue of cybersecurity encompasses everything that pertains to protecting our nation’s sensitive data, intellectual property, data and governmental and industry information systems from theft, tampering, and damage.

“Fundamentally, our society is more technologically reliant than ever before and the spread of false, deceptive or misleading statements, information, acts or practices, amplified by the use of technology and social media, threatens the integrity of democratic institutions, and the rule of law which form the foundation of our democracy,” she added.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Biden-Harris Administration to advance and fortify our nation’s cybersecurity, infrastructure protection and innovation,” Clarke continued.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said he was “glad Congresswoman Clarke will be leading our committee’s Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation Subcommittee this Congress.

“After the previous Administration failed to make cybersecurity a top priority in the face of growing and evolving threats, we will have to make up for lost time”.

“As we continue to learn more about the wide-spread cyber campaign targeting federal networks and certain critical infrastructure, there will be a great deal of work ahead to mature our federal network security programmes, implement robust chain risk-management practices, and evolve the partnership between the Federal government and the private sector,” Thompson added. “I have every confidence Representative Clarke is the right person for the job.”

Clarke, who has been in the US Congress since 2007, is a senior member of the House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee and a senior member of the Committee on Homeland Security.