In a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., and Ranking Member Kay Granger, R-Texas, almost every member of the House Homeland Security Committee requested an increase in the Homeland Security Subcommittee’s FY2020 302(b) allocation.
“By providing additional funding in FY2020, the Appropriations Committee can ensure Congress is able to properly resource Federal cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection efforts at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),” the letter stated.
Signed by both House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Ranking Member Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the letter goes on to say that a flat cybersecurity budget is “just as dangerous as a cut” – strong words, considering the White House budget proposal for FY20 holds funding for cybersecurity at DHS steady. The letter also says that cyber threats outweigh the danger of physical attacks.
“It is imperative that the Homeland Security Subcommittee’s 302(b) allocation enable CISA to mature and grow the services it provides to secure Federal and critical infrastructure networks,” the committee wrote.
