Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) is leading House Republicans in pressing FBI Director Kash Patel to maintain aggressive action against cybercriminal networks targeting healthcare systems, warning that ransomware attacks and data breaches can endanger patients and carry national security implications.
The letter, provided exclusively to Breitbart News, is signed by Nehls, Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), and Reps. Aaron Bean (R-FL), Sheri Biggs (R-SC), Ben Cline (R-VA), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Lance Gooden (R-TX), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Brian Babin (R-TX).
The lawmakers frame the issue as a threat to critical healthcare infrastructure and national security, writing that “cyberattacks against hospital systems and health care providers have evolved from isolated incidents into a persistent and escalating national security concern.”
The letter cites data from the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and industry stakeholders showing that since federal breach reporting requirements were established in 2009, “more than 5,000 major health care data breaches have been reported, affecting over 500 million patient records.”
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has “consistently identified health care as one of the sectors most heavily targeted by ransomware attacks,” the lawmakers write, adding that hundreds of incidents have been reported annually in recent years.
They also point to more than 700 health care data breaches affecting 500 or more people in 2023, which the letter describes as the highest number on record up to that point. Ransomware complaints reported to the FBI increased from fewer than 200 across all sectors in 2015 to more than 2,800 in 2023, according to the letter.
“These attacks are not victimless crimes,” the lawmakers write, noting that cyberattacks on hospitals can “force system shutdowns, delay surgeries and emergency care, divert ambulances, and jeopardize patient safety,” while costing health systems millions of dollars per incident.
The lawmakers praise the FBI’s “proactive approach” to the threat, including efforts to disrupt transnational ransomware networks, “many of which operate as ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ enterprises with safe haven abroad.”
They also cite Patel’s recent call for greater information-sharing between health care providers and federal law enforcement, writing that “timely and transparent sharing of cyber threat intelligence is essential to identifying vulnerabilities, mitigating attacks before they occur, and protecting both patient safety and national security.”
The letter urges “continued collaboration between the FBI and health care stakeholders,” including through public-private partnerships, streamlined reporting mechanisms, and guidance that allows hospitals “to participate effectively in information-sharing initiatives without undue burden.”
Nehls said in an exclusive statement, “For decades, our healthcare infrastructure has been under attack. We must do everything in our power to protect our hospital systems and healthcare providers from cyberattacks, which jeopardize patients’ lives and cost healthcare systems millions of dollars. I’m proud to lead a letter to FBI Director Patel, applauding his recent actions to address the growing threats that target our healthcare infrastructure, and urging him to deploy every tool available to combat cyberattacks from criminal organizations.”
Chairman Pfluger told Breitbart News, “The threat to America’s healthcare infrastructure is real, it is growing, and it demands aggressive action. When ransomware gangs can shut down a hospital and put patients’ lives on the line, that is a national security threat. The RSC is proud to stand with Rep. Nehls in backing the FBI’s efforts and demanding every available tool be used against these criminal networks.”
The lawmakers conclude by saying they remain committed to supporting policies and resources that “strengthen cybersecurity resilience across the health care sector, enhance interagency coordination, and hold malicious actors accountable.”