McConnell open to revisiting cybersecurity bill
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says December is a possible time for discussion. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says December is a possible time for discussion.
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."