Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego introduced a bipartisan bill on Thursday to help protect public water systems from cyberattacks. ( Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Cotton said cyberattacks on public infrastructure are a growing threat.
"This bipartisan bill will strengthen our ability to protect essential services and support local water utilities in building stronger cyber defenses," he added.
The bill comes less than a month after the Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese officials acknowledged behind closed doors in December that their government was responsible for a series of attacks on U.S. infrastructure.
CHINA ATTACKED US WITH HACKERS. WE NEED TO HIT BACK HARD
Chinese officials connected the cyberattacks on U.S. ports, airports, utilities and other important targets to America’s support for Taiwan, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier this month it had made clear to Beijing that the U.S. will continue to take actions in response to Chinese malicious cyber activity targeting the U.S.
"Chinese cyber threats are some of the gravest and most persistent threats to U.S. national security," the spokesperson said. "The United States will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure from irresponsible and reckless cyberattacks from Beijing. President Trump is committed to protecting the American people and U.S. critical infrastructure from these threats."
The Chinese Embassy told FOX Business that China "firmly opposes" the smear attacks against it without any factual basis.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WARNS STATES OF POSSIBLE ATTACKS ON WATER SYSTEMS FROM FOREIGN HACKERS
The water system in Muleshoe, Texas, was attacked by Russian hackers in January 2024, sending tens of thousands of gallons flowing out of a water tower. (Google Maps)
The Biden administration warned state leaders in March 2024 that cyberattacks by hackers linked to Iran and China could take down water systems across the U.S. if cybersecurity measures were not taken as a precaution.
Then Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael S. Regan and Jake Sullivan, the assistant to Biden for national security affairs, said in an email to state governors that cyberattacks were targeting water and wastewater systems throughout the U.S.
In the letter, the two Biden administration officials said the attacks could disrupt clean and safe drinking water and impose significant costs on affected communities.
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In January 2024, Russian hackers launched an attack on the water system in Muleshoe, Texas.
The hack caused the small Texas town's water sytem to overflow and within two hours sent tens of thousands of gallons of water flowing out of the town's water tower. Muleshoe was one of three small towns in the rural Texas Panhandle targeted by a Russian hacktivist group.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told legislators in a letter that the cybersecurity firm Mandiant attributed the attack on Muleshoe to Sandworm, which is believed to be connected to Russia's spy agency, the GRU.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-bill-bolster-water-system-protections-against-hackers