U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, is calling on financial regulators to strengthen protections against a possible cyberattack from Iran.
In a letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Cleaver urged the department to "take all possible precautions" to protect the country's financial infrastructure.
This comes in the wake of Iran firing ballistic missiles Tuesday night at bases in Iraq that housed U.S. troops as retaliation for the American assassination of Qasem Soleimani.
Cleaver and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y, both members of the House Financial Services Committee, signed the letter.
They requested that financial regulators work closely with law enforcement and "increase sharing of appropriate cyber threat information." They also requested that Mnuchin report back to Congress by March.
Cleaver's letter was sent before President Trump's statement Wednesday morning on the missile attacks. “Iran appears to be standing down which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Trump said.
Cleaver tweeted Wednesday afternoon that he was thankful no Americans died in the attacks. "War is not inevitable, and we must not fool ourselves into thinking otherwise," his Tweet continued.
Other local members of Congress also responded on social media.
"Strong, measured remarks on Iran from @realDonaldTrump just now. The US will defend itself when attacked and will never permit Iran to get a nuclear weapon," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted after Trump's statement.
Strong, measured remarks on Iran from @realDonaldTrump just now. The US will defend itself when attacked and will never permit Iran to get a nuclear weapon. That is the right focus— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 8, 2020
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, in a tweet called on Iran to work on developing a "peaceful relationship" with the U.S.
#Iran has an opportunity to step aside from its history of hostility and aggression and move towards a peaceful relationship with the United States.
I applaud @realDonaldTrump and all of our armed forces for remaining strong and resolute in the face of this threat.— Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) January 8, 2020
Sam Zeffis KCUR's metro reporter. You can follow Sam on Twitter @samzeff
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