Upper East Texas News

Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) has introduced H.R.9500, the Securing America’s Federal Equipment (SAFE) Supply Chains Act, aimed at strengthening U.S. cybersecurity by mandating that government agencies purchase electronics exclusively from original equipment manufacturers or authorized sellers to mitigate the risk of procuring harmful products.

The bill addresses growing concerns over adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran exploiting vulnerabilities in the cyber domain, with the U.S. government facing millions of daily attacks.

“The proliferation of artificial intelligence has allowed our enemies to conduct offensive cyber-operations at an enormous rate, creating the possibility of a devastating attack on this country’s most sensitive networks,” said Rep. Fallon. “Simultaneously, our adversaries have been targeting our hardware and software systems by selling the US government counterfeit products through what are known as 'grey market' sellers. These products, although marketed as genuine hardware, allow our adversaries to gain access to US government systems, making it far easier to conduct subsequent cyber-attacks. This is unacceptable.”

Rep. Fallon added that he has partnered with Senators Cornyn and Peters in a bipartisan and bicameral effort to prevent the federal government from being at risk of acquiring harmful products. The proposed legislation mandates that federal agencies purchase hardware from trusted sources designated as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

“The world is at peak instability and danger,” continued Rep. Fallon. “Simply put, we are at an inflection point, which means we must do everything in our power to protect our vulnerable systems from cyber-attack and intrusion from our adversaries.”

The SAFE Supply Chains Act also garners support from industry leaders. Jeff Campbell, Cisco’s Chief Government Strategy Officer, stated: “The risk of counterfeit components compromising our federal IT systems is a clear and present danger that must be addressed." He emphasized that Cisco recognizes the intrinsic link between technology security and the trustworthiness of its source and supports the SAFE Supply Chain Act's efforts to ensure secure digital infrastructure for the government.

“We applaud Representative Fallon for introducing this measure in the House," Campbell added, "and look forward to engaging both chambers as members continue work on this critical issue.”