Commerce officials call on Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation

Commerce Department officials stressed that Congress needs to pass cybersecurity legislation that incentivizes companies to boost the security of their computer systems and networks, adding that the executive branch cannot grant that power.

"Tax incentives, liability protections— those are things that the president can't wave a magic wand and make happen," said Ari Schwartz, senior policy advisor to the Secretary of Commerce, at a briefing about the executive order hosted by law firm Venable. "Congress needs to pass those things." The officials acknowledged that it will be "a challenge" to put together a cybersecurity framework over the next eight months that can apply across various sectors of U.S. critical infrastructure—such as water systems, electric companies and banking systems—and businesses that vary in size. They also repeated the administration's call for industry to help with the implementation of the order.