Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has pronounced cybersecurity legislation "dead for this Congress," but his Republican counterpart said on Thursday that he's open to revisiting the issue before the end of the year.
On Wednesday night, the White House-backed Cybersecurity Act of 2012 failed once again in the Senate after Republicans complained of not having had the chance to amend the bill.
“My expectation is that sometime in December, after we have completed floor debate on the Defense Authorization bill, and then dispose of the Intelligence Authorization bill, we will then attempt to get an agreement on amendments to the cybersecurity bill,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a floor speech on Thursday.
The White House says it's not waiting on Congress and is preparing an executive order that could enact some of the provisions of the Cybersecurity Act.
"The current prospects for a cybersecurity bill are limited," White House cybersecurity adviser Michael Daniel said in a statement after the vote. "Congressional inaction in light of the risks to our nation may require the administration to issue an executive order as a precursor to the updated laws we need."
sponsored
Event: Digital Government Success: Meeting the Call for 21st Century Government
Research Report: Powering Continuous Monitoring Through Big Data
Performance Analytics: What It Means for Your Agency
What Big Data Means for TSA & Airport Security
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although Nextgov does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule.