[Washington Examiner] More than two months after taking office, President Joe Biden has yet to nominate a national cybersecurity director, even as the federal government deals with the massive SolarWinds breach announced late last year.Several lawmakers and cybersecurity experts are pushing the Biden administration to name a cybersecurity director to be in charge of federal cybersecurity policy and strategy. The new job, created in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act passed on Jan. 1, would take on some of the White House cybersecurity coordinator's responsibilities, a position eliminated in 2018 during former President Donald Trump's administration.
The nomination, however, is complicated because Congress hasn't yet provided funding for the 75-person office that the director would lead. Also, the Biden administration is working to ensure that the director has authority to lead an interagency response to cybersecurity issues that would include the intelligence community and the military, said a person with knowledge of the administration's efforts.
Still, it is "incredibly important" for the Biden administration to appoint a new cybersecurity director, said Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, who had sponsored a bill to create the position.
