CISPA Sponsors Brush Off White House Veto Threat

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The primary sponsors of the controversial cybersecurity bill known as CISPA on Tuesday brushed off a White House threat to veto the bill without substantial changes and increased privacy and civil liberties protections for Web users.

Reps. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) released a statement arguing that what the White House had been asking for in the way of changes to the bill they had already agreed upon in the form of four new amendments, except for the White House request for increased regulation of “critical infrastructure” networks, such as those run by utilities. In this, the sponsors asserted that they didn’t have the power to impose new regulations. 

The full statement from the CISPA sponsors reads as follows: 

“The basis for the Administration’s view is mostly based on the lack of critical infrastructure regulation, something outside of our jurisdiction.  We would also draw the White House’s attention to the substantial package of privacy and civil liberties improvement announced yesterday which will be added to the bill on the floor. The SAP was limited to the bill in “its current form” – however, as the bipartisan managers of the bill announced yesterday – they have agreed to a package of amendments that address nearly every single one of the criticisms leveled by the Administration, particularly those regarding privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Congress must lead on this critical issue and we hope the White House will join us.”

“This is just, I think, them kicking up some dust,” Rogers later told POLITICO of the White House’s veto threat.

 

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