Taking all the Air of out of the Room on Capitol Hill

The Deficit Reduction Super Committee and looming re-election campaigns have taken all the air of out of the room. It seems that despite best efforts by Congress to focus on reforming cybersecurity laws and regulations, the environment looks challenging for current proposals to pass during this legislative session. The Republican Cybersecurity Task Force, chaired by Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-TX), recently issued its report with a list of recommendations for reforming the nation’s cybersecurity laws and regulations.  However, a key component of the report is a recommendation that cybersecurity reform proposals go back through the relevant committees of jurisdiction, which in some ways starts the clock over.


In the meantime, the deficit reduction Super Committee negotiations are dominating the discussion and the focus among legislative staff.  Add to this is a degree of anxiety and uncertainty with various re-election campaigns and this leads to the conclusion that cybersecurity legislation is unlikely to rise to the top of the legislative calendar.


Notwithstanding, the Obama Administration as early as this week convened meetings on the Hill to advocate in favor of major cybersecurity reform. Not surprisingly, the Republican Caucus pushed back hard against the Administration’s approach to dealing with cybersecurity regulation.