USDA nominee for rural development eyes cyber, IT assists

The Department of Agriculture will not be shy about asking Congress for help on cybersecurity and IT, the agency’s undersecretary for rural development nominee told senators Wednesday.

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman teed up a cyber-focused line of questioning to Glen Smith by noting reports of China targeting utilities, including water systems. The Arkansas Republican asked Smith if he’d pledge to keep the committee in the loop on “what new policy tools may be needed” as part of USDA’s mission to protect those rural water systems and other critical infrastructure.

Smith co-signed Boozman’s take on the importance of cybersecurity to core infrastructure programs overseen by USDA’s Rural Development division, saying threat reports like the ones Boozman mentioned “scares the bejeebus out of” him. 

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