The Senate only has until the end of the week to decide the fate of a cybersecurity bill before breaking for recess, and one longtime lawmaker says there will be dire consequences if his colleagues continue to wait.
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, urged fellow lawmakers on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon to move forward on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing Act (CISA) before Congress breaks until September.
The bill as written calls on the private sector to voluntarily share with the U.S. government information regarding attacks waged against its computer networks, and the recent high-profile breaches suffered by federal and corporate targets alike have made passage of a cyber act more likely than ever. A disagreement between party leadership Tuesday stalled discussions, however, and could now delay a vote until after recess.
“It is unbelievable that this body would not move forward” with CISA, Mr. McCain said, calling it “disgraceful” to not advance the proposal in the face of “dire consequences and dire threats.”
“By blocking this legislation you are putting the nation in danger by not allowing the Senate of the United States to act against a very real threat to our very existence,” he said. “The security of the United States of America is in danger.”
Leaders from both sides of the aisle in the GOP-led Senate say they want to move forward with passing cybersecurity legislation, but Democrats are opposed to an offering from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Nevada Republican, that would limit the number of amendments that can be offered to CISA.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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