When Democrats reclaimed the majority in the U.S. Senate, I became the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Intelligence Committee oversees the entire U.S. Intelligence Community: from the CIA to the Defense Intelligence Agency to the intelligence elements of our Armed Forces. Many of the brave men and women who serve in our intelligence community live and work right here in Virginia.

This is not a job I take lightly, especially given the events of the recent Colonial Pipeline hack. Many of our critical pipelines and electrical grids are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and I know there’s broad bipartisan support for safeguarding our national infrastructure. I pledge to work as quickly and efficiently as I can to protect Americans from cyberattacks.

There’s also the matter of cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration. The Trump White House spent their entire time in office undermining and politicizing the Intelligence Community, which threatens lasting damage to America’s national security. Furthermore, in recent years we’ve seen an alarming rise in anti-government extremism and increasing cyber espionage conducted against the United States by hostile foreign actors.

In light of these grave threats, I have several top priorities for the Intel Committee:

1. 1. Strengthen America’s cybersecurity capabilities so we never have a repeat of cyber attacks like the Colonial Pipeline hack or the 2020 SolarWinds cyber-espionage campaign.

1. 1. Root out anti-government extremism, including the white nationalist militias who participated in the January 6th insurrection at our Capitol.

1. 1. Rebuild intelligence community agencies and departments that were understaffed and under-resourced in the previous administration.

1. Depoliticize our intelligence-gathering apparatus, so these tireless and patriotic public servants can stay above the partisan fray and focus on their jobs: defending the American homeland.

I am honored to serve as Senate Intelligence chairman. So, here is my promise to you, to all Virginians, and to our career intelligence professionals on the front lines: I will not let you down. To the best of my ability, I will work to tackle extremism and cyberattacks, rebuild and depoliticize our Intelligence Community, and maintain the committee’s reputation for bipartisan work so we can protect America’s national security.

You can read more about my plans as Senate Intelligence Committee chairman in this recent article from The New York Times.

Thank you,
Sen. Mark Warner

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