At The Center For Internet Security, The Nation’s Frontline Of Cyber-Defense, Schumer Launches A Major Push To Secure American Elections From Foreign Interference; Senator Says American Democracy Needs To Be More Secure Than Ever, Urges Congress To Get Significant Resources To State & Local Election Boards Upstate Asap
Specifically, Schumer pointed to a recent non-partisan report from the Brennan Center for Justice and R Street Institute as proof positive of this. The report highlighted successful 2016 Russian cyber-attacking efforts to break into computer systems in Florida as a means of proving the urgency of the threat, and argued that while Congress passing $380 million in Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding for state governments to bolster their election systems and fend off foreign cyber-attacks was an important start, it was not enough. The report claimed, “Unfortunately, given the myriad security challenges faced by these states, the $380 million is not enough to address the needs of state and local offices; many have substantial election security needs that likely will not be met absent additional federal support.” Schumer said that as a result of this, Congress must answer the call and pass further funding to protect American elections.
