On cyber security, Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) will publicly state today “for the first time his preference for a Senate-confirmed White House official to coordinate the government’s efforts, saying that the Homeland Security Department should take the lead in protecting most computer networks,” the Washington Post reports.
"The federal government has an inherent responsibility to its citizens protect its own networks, but also to work with the private sector and ensure a reliable supply of electricity and water and the continued, orderly functioning of financial, communication and transportation systems," Lieberman will say, according to prepared remarks to be delivered at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. (See excerpts of the speech after the jump.)
Lieberman will say the government needs the Senate-confirmed cyber security coordinator "to ensure that the classified work conducted by Department of Defense and intelligence agencies is informing the defensive actions taken by our domestic agencies."
The administration has struggled since last winter with recruiting and retaining a cyber security "czar," and said just last week that it has yet to pick a candidate.
Lieberman is Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. His Ranking Member, Susan Collins (R-ME), sees things differently on this issue.
Lieberman’s preference for a White House official puts him at odds with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking Republican on the Senate homeland security panel. Collins wants to give Homeland Security Department the ultimate cyber security authority, instead of a White House czar. The disagreement is notable since Lieberman and Collins maintain a close, virtually nonpartisan and mostly agreeable working relationship on the committee.
(credit image – associated press)
Congress in Your Pocket
