It is no secret that Moscow has a longstanding desire to undermine the liberal democratic order led by the United States. Vladimir Putin’s goal to erode public trust in the democratic process is evident by his intrusion in our election, but also by his willingness to disrupt the electoral process across Europe. We must continue our efforts to ensure Russia never meddles in our democracy again. Their actions not only threaten our democratic process and our founding ideals but also our economy and security.

As the only Illinois member on the House Intelligence Committee, I am fully committed to doing whatever it takes to keep our country safe. This includes my commitment to our investigation into Russia, in terms of both their election hacking and their ties with President Trump’s campaign. Congress’ response to these incidents will have major foreign policy implications in the weeks, months, and years to come. The world is watching, and we must do all we can to deter future intrusions into our institutions, from Russia or any other actors who wish us harm.

In an effort to combat attempted attacks on our democratic process, I co-sponsored the bipartisan PAPER Act to assist states as they strengthen the cybersecurity defenses of their election systems. The intelligence community has confirmed that Russian intelligence breached 39 states’ boards of elections, including in Illinois. I have been working with Illinois election officials at every level of government to discuss the vulnerabilities that still exist and the work that remains to strengthen and modernize our election infrastructure.