Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04) released the following statement in response to President Biden’s threat of retaliation to Russian President Vladimir Putin if Russia or Russian aligned actors carry out further cyberattacks.  

“I’m pleased that President Biden made it clear that if Russia continues these cyberattacks or tolerates those who execute these attacks, they will pay a serious cost. The past two administrations have not retaliated proportionately to Russia’s attacks on U.S. businesses, infrastructure, and democratic elections, and therefore the severity and frequency of attacks have increased. Deterrence is absolutely essential to stop the continuing and escalating cyber hacks emanating from Russia. President Putin won’t respect the steadfastness of our resolve until we proportionately retaliate using the sophisticated and precise capabilities we have at our disposal. ”  

Congressman Himes has long advocated for the United States to establish a clear and defined policy of deterrence against cyberattacks from state and non-state actors. Ahead of President Biden’s meeting with President Putin, Congressman Himes, joined by Congressman Schiff and Congressman Stewart, sent a letter to President Biden calling for him to take aggressive action to deter future attacks.  On May 28th, Congressman Himes published an op-ed in the Stamford Advocate outlining the need for proportional retaliation against those who wage cyberwarfare against us.

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