Dive Brief:
- A new bill introduced in the Senate by Cory Gardner, R-CO, and Chris Coons, D-DE, on Wednesday would form a new cybersecurity committee to oversee cybersecurity tactics across multiple federal government agencies, Cyberscoop reports.
- The committee, which would include the highest-ranking Republicans and Democrats on the Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, among others, according to the legislation, would receive direct briefings from the intelligence community.
- In addition to acting as an oversight organization, the committee would also write legislation and organize investigations.
Dive Insight:
Today, Homeland Security, Armed Services and Intelligence panels share authority over digital security issues. If the new bill goes through, those agencies would have to relinquish some of those responsibilities, creating a single committee with oversight.
A new, more active approach to handling cybersecurity makes sense given the world we live in today. The bill is at the very least a positive sign that the federal government is now taking cybersecurity more seriously, acting as a point of leadership to get things done.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump tapped former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to form a cybersecurity group with leading senior corporate executives. That panel is more private-sector focused and would serve as a bridge between the government and private sector.
Should the new bill become law, Trump’s cyber panel could conceivably work with the new committee and lend some private sector expertise to federal government cybersecurity efforts.
