WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced that President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act into law which includes their bipartisan priority to provide $21 million in funding for the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD). The NCD is a brand new position tasked with coordinating the implementation of national cybersecurity policy and strategy. Because the position was created in the middle of a fiscal year, Congress has not yet directly appropriated funding for the Office. With cyberattacks increasing in both scope and consequence, it is crucial to provide the National Cyber Director the funding and resources necessary to accomplish this important mission. The inclusion of this bipartisan priority in the broader, bipartisan infrastructure package will provide a one-time funding allocation of $21 million through Fiscal Year 2022.
“Now that President Biden has signed the bipartisan infrastructure package into law, the new Office of the National Cyber Director will finally have $21 million in important funding to effectively and efficiently develop national cyber policies and ensure that federal networks, data, and critical infrastructure are protected,” said Portman. “This funding is critical because the position was created in the middle of a fiscal year and thus Congress had not yet directly appropriated funding for the Office of the National Cyber Director which is tasked with coordinating the implementation of national cyber policy and strategy.”
“Equipping the National Cyber Director with qualified staff strengthens America’s ability to protect itself against increasingly frequent cyber attacks, helping ensure Arizona families, employers, and communities stay safe and secure,” said Sinema.
“As we work hard to negotiate investments in our infrastructure priorities, it’s essential to support and strengthen the security of our digital networks — which connect our economy and culture just as much as our highways, railways and bridges,” said King, Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that created the position of National Cyber Director. “As we strengthen our networks against global cyberthreats and ransomware criminals, we must ensure that Director Inglis has the resources to implement a comprehensive plan to protect our society, economy, and nation from those seeking to do us harm.”
“Strengthening cybersecurity is a fundamental part of protecting our infrastructure, from energy grids to health care systems,” said Hassan. “I am pleased that we worked on a bipartisan basis to immediately provide funding for the Office of the National Cyber Director in the infrastructure package. This will help us better protect our economy and national security alike from cybersecurity threats.”
“The size, scope, and frequency of cyber attacks has made it abundantly clear that the United States’ cyber warfare readiness is extraordinarily weak,” said Romney. “This important funding will support the Office of the National Cyber Director in developing and implementing a national cybersecurity policy and strategy, which will better protect our country from growing cyber threats.”
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