House Republicans urge Obama not to issue cybersecurity order

A group of 46 House Republicans, led by Reps. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) and Steve Scalise (La.), sent President Obama a letter on Friday urging him not to issue an executive order on cybersecurity.

"Instead of preempting Congress' will and pushing a top-down regulatory framework, your administration should engage Congress in an open and constructive manner to help address the serious cybersecurity challenges facing our country," the lawmakers wrote. 

The White House is currently drafting an executive order that would encourage operators of critical infrastructure, such as banks and electric grids, to meet cybersecurity standards. 

The administration says the order, which could come as early as January, is necessary to protect vital systems from hackers.

The White House began working on the order after Senate Republicans blocked the Democrats' preferred cybersecurity bill.

But in their letter, the House Republicans urged the administration to continue working with Congress. 

They said the president should support the Republicans' cybersecurity bill, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which would encourage companies to share information about cyber threats. 

"This framework will work better than attempts to place the government in charge of overseeing minimum standards for industries seeking to invest in new and innovative security solutions," the Republicans wrote.

---