S.Amdt. 6703

SA 6703, submitted by Mr. Schumer, aims to add a new section (SEC. 1049A) to the bill. The purpose of this addition is to require the Director of National Intelligence to create and submit a national intelligence estimate regarding the risks and national security implications of foreign adversaries using cyber and physical attacks to target the electric grid of the United States.

Purpose and Changes

The amendment seeks to add the following requirements to the bill:

• National Intelligence Estimate: Within one year of the Act's enactment, the Director of National Intelligence must provide a report to specific Congressional committees.

• Required Analysis: The estimate must include:

  • A risk assessment of threats from foreign non-state actors (like ransomware groups) and state-backed actors from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China.
  • An analysis of how blackouts of different lengths would impact health, total economic activity, satellite communications for security, and national security (including access to wireless telecommunications and commercial internet).
  • An evaluation of policies regarding the expansion of the electric grid, the adoption of security standards to stop foreign state-backed cyber actors, and supply chain risk management (including identifying and prohibiting or mitigating risk from foreign-origin components).

• Transparency and Reporting: The report must be submitted in classified form, but an unclassified version of the key findings must be made available to the public on an intelligence community website.