House lawmakers roll out legislation to establish national cyber director

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation in the House that would establish a “national cybersecurity director” to lead government efforts on cybersecurity.

The National Cyber Director Act would establish the position within the White House, with the director meant to serve as the president’s key adviser on cybersecurity and other emerging technology issues.

The individual filling the position would be nominated by the president and then Senate-confirmed, and would be responsible for overseeing the creation and implementation of a national cybersecurity strategy to address security risks to the U.S. in cyberspace.

The position would take over many of the responsibilities of the White House cybersecurity coordinator, a position that was eliminated in 2018 by former national security adviser John Bolton following the departure of former cybersecurity coordinator Rob Joyce.

The creation of a national cyber director was one of the key recommendations made by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) as part of its report rolled out in March on how to protect the nation from cybersecurity threats. The CSC was established by Congress and is made up of members of Congress, top federal officials and industry representatives.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), the co-chairman of the CSC, and CSC member Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) are among the sponsors of the bill.

Langevin said in a statement that “complicated” cybersecurity policy necessitates a national leader on the issue.

“Only within the White House can we cohesively develop and implement a truly whole-of-nation cyber strategy that is commensurate with the threats we face,” Langevin said. “By establishing a National Cyber Director with the policy and budgetary authority to reach across government, we can better address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and gaps holistically and prevent catastrophic cyber incidents.”