Dave Nyczepir
Lawmakers recessed for 2019 without codifying the Department of Homeland Security’s program for monitoring federal networks — despite bipartisan legislation introduced the Senate and House.
Sponsors say they will keep pushing for action in 2020. The goal is to give full congressional authorization to the exiting Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, which DHS launched in 2013 to provide federal, state and local agencies with tools to track and respond to cybersecurity incidents faster.
The legislation ran into a “time crunch” this year in the House, according to a spokesperson for a sponsor of the House bill, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas.
“Regardless, we’re hopeful the bill will move quickly through the legislative process, so we can continue equipping the federal government with the tools they need to properly handle cyberattacks and other intrusions,” the spokesperson told FedScoop.
Ratcliffe and bill cosponsor Ro Khanna, D-Calif., had “great conversations” with their parties concerning the legislation…
