“Lawmakers Rally for Biden to Nominate Walden as National Cyber Director”

Two leading voices in the U.S. Congress on cybersecurity, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., have urged President Biden to nominate Kemba Walden, the acting national cyber director, to take on the job permanently. King and Gallagher lead the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and insist that a permanent director is needed to implement the national cybersecurity strategy. They warn that the administration risks losing momentum in implementing its cybersecurity strategy without a permanent national cybersecurity director.

Walden has served as the acting national cyber director since Chris Inglis stepped down in February. A former assistant general counsel in Microsoft’s digital crimes unit and a veteran of the Department of Homeland Security, Walden has taken the lead in promoting the administration’s national cyber strategy, which proposes an overhaul of liability standards for the software industry and a more aggressive approach in regulating cybersecurity.

“We are extremely concerned that the three-month delay (and counting) in nominating a candidate to replace Chris will hinder the implementation of the strategy and lead to a lessening of the stature of the office,” King and Gallagher wrote in a letter to Biden. The post-Implementation of the Cybersecurity Strategy requires Congress approval, and the lawmakers caution that the lack of a permanent leader in the Office of the National Cyber Director risks hobbling implementation.

Recommendations

Given the current situation, it is necessary for Biden to recognize the importance of having a permanent national cyber director in office as early as possible. Cybersecurity is one of the significant national security concerns, and a permanent director will ensure smooth implementation of the cybersecurity strategy and the recommendations made therein.

In the same vein, Congress must prioritize the approval of the Cybersecurity Strategy to ensure that recommendations for regulations and liability standards in the software industry are followed through promptly. Failure to give the issue this urgency will not only hinder implementation but put citizens, businesses, and organizations at risk.