White House cyber coordinator should have budget authority

A White House cyber chief should have budget authority for initiatives to protect computer networks and systems across all agencies to ensure the allocation of necessary resources, said former federal officials on Thursday. Currently, Congress appropriates cybersecurity funds to agencies and departments, which then have varying degrees of flexibility in deciding how exactly the dollars are spent within a given program. This decentralized strategy hinders the administration's ability to develop and implement a governmentwide cybersecurity strategy, said a panel of former federal officials at the AFCEA Solutions cybersecurity conference. Separately, government relations firm Livingston Group sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and minority leader John Boehner recommending Congress unify the plethora of committees that hold jurisdiction over cybersecurity. "Part of the problem preventing Congress from addressing this issue is that multiple committees currently have jurisdiction over cybersecurity," stated the letter, which was signed by former Louisiana congressman Robert Livingston, now a partner in the firm. He named seven committees that influence how cybersecurity, including the Appropriations Committee, which he chaired. Other committees focus on areas of energy, commerce, armed services and homeland security. "This diffusion of responsibility prevents the Congress from taking effective action," he wrote.