From: FCW
By Richard E. Cohen
After a largely unproductive two years, congressional leaders are looking for a fresh start on government management issues.
Given President Barack Obama’s re-election and the fact that the 113th Congress took office on Jan. 3 with the same partisan mix as its predecessor, there is less incentive to continue delaying timely but contentious issues and more of an imperative to find common ground.
In addition, new chairmen are running several key congressional committees. They include Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).
Despite the ongoing budget standoffs, those changes could combine to improve prospects for action on a range of vital issues.
Cybersecurity
Those three committees and several others plan a quick start on a host of efforts to counter ominous cybersecurity threats. The House passed several limited measures in 2012, but a more sweeping Senate counterpart was stymied by procedural deadlocks and the sponsors’ failure to garner the 60 votes required to break a filibuster.
“Republicans and the Chamber of Commerce last year had strong concerns about an increased federal role and new regulations by the Homeland Security Department,” said a senior Democratic aide. “They wanted to wait until the election results” to see if they could gain more leverage.
Obama’s re-election and Democrats’ strengthened control of the Senate will likely increase their ability to find common ground on cybersecurity protections for government and businesses. In light of the strong possibility that Obama will soon issue an executive order to increase the federal government’s role in cybersecurity, key lawmakers were planning to fill in some of the details, including the steps required to secure federal IT systems.
“I still believe that legislation offers the best long-term solution to address the cyber threats we face,” Carper told FCW. “Our nation cannot afford more delay on this issue, and I am committed to working together to reach a solution as soon as possible.”
In the GOP-controlled House, McCaul has listed cybersecurity legislation as a top priority for the Homeland Security Committee. He has long-standing relationships with the industry nationally and locally through prominent high-tech companies in his home district.
Leave a Reply