"I am disappointed by the Administration's decision to add yet another czar at the White House - in this case, in an attempt to address the critical challenges our nation faces in securing cyberspace. This cyber ‘coordinator' is another czar - a position created in a way that bypasses the Senate's constitutional advice-and-consent role and shields it from effective oversight. The appointment of so many czars by this Administration to so many key posts enables the Executive Branch to operate behind a cloak, essentially beyond the Senate's oversight reach. This pattern should be troubling to any American concerned about transparency and accountability in our democracy.
"More important, the track record of cyber czars - from the Clinton Administration to the Bush Administration - is not good. White House coordination of cybersecurity has been tried before. OMB has used its existing authorities to help improve the situation, but none of these efforts has effectively secured our critical information technology infrastructure.
"Cybersecurity requires more than mere coordination from a White House cubicle and high-level strategy. There must be aggressive oversight, evaluation, and testing of systems. There must be constant, real-time monitoring of security and analyses of threats. I will continue to advocate for a strong, accountable leader, anchored at the Department of Homeland Security, with the authorities and resources necessary to confront our real and growing cybersecurity threats to the federal government and our nation's critical infrastructure."
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