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Rogers: 'Irresponsible' of White House not to consult on cyber order
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) blasted the White House on Thursday for failing to consult with him on a potential executive order to enhance cybersecurity.
"I don't get it. I don't understand it," Rogers said at a cybersecurity summit at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters. "I think it's irresponsible."
Rogers argued that his committee researched cybersecurity issues for two years and that administration officials should seek the input and expertise of congressional Republicans. He also charged that the White House has failed to reach out to the business community.
"Why you wouldn't want input from the outside on this stuff is beyond me," Rogers said. "And that tells me what kind of product you're going to get too, would be my guess."
Rogers is the author of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which passed the House in April. The measure would encourage companies and the government to share information with each other about cyberattacks. But the White House threatened to veto the bill over concerns that it would give spy agencies access to people's personal information.
The White House endorsed a separate Senate bill, the Cybersecurity Act, which included tougher privacy protections and would have set government security standards for critical infrastructure, such as gas pipelines and banks.
But Republicans blocked the Cybersecurity Act, arguing that the standards would burden businesses and do little to improve security.
The White House is now drafting an executive order that empower the Homeland Security Department to set voluntary cybersecurity standards for the private sector. Because of legal limitations, the order would not include the information-sharing provisions.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at a congressional hearing last month that the order was "close to completion," but that President Obama still needed to review it.
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