Lawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle criticized President TrumpDonald TrumpTrump signs bill to keep government open amid relief talks US to close two Russia consulates ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trends on social media following new Space Force name MORE for his ongoing silence on the massive suspected Russian hack of federal agencies this week, and urged him to sign the annual defense funding bill into law to take action immediately.

“It is extremely troubling that the President does not appear to be acknowledging, much less acting upon, the gravity of this situation,” Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark WarnerMark Robert WarnerOn The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend Lawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack MORE (D-Va.) said in a statement released Friday, accusing Trump and his administration of not taking the breach “seriously enough.”

As of Friday, almost a dozen federal agencies had reportedly been breached as part of the fallout from the nation state hack of IT company SolarWinds, which estimates around 18,000 of its customers have been compromised since March.

Agencies impacted include the Commerce, Homeland Security, State and Treasury departments, along with the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Agency.

The Trump administration has taken steps to begin immediately responding to the breach, including standing up a cyber coordination group composed of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien also cut short a trip earlier this week to return to the U.S. and address the crisis.

However, despite reportedly being briefed on the issue, Trump himself has not yet addressed the breach, which is already being hailed as one of the largest cyber espionage incidents in U.S. history. His silence became more noticeable Thursday, when President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenUS to close two Russia consulates On The Money: Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend | Federal Reserve fight imperils relief talks Leading legal experts urge aggressive immigration actions MORE put out a statement vowing to make responding to the breach a “top priority” once in office.

“An incident of this magnitude and lasting impact requires an engaged and public response by the U.S. government, led by a President who understands the significance of this intrusion and who is actively marshaling a domestic remediation strategy and an international response,” Warner said.

Warner’s comments came the day after Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers ask whether massive hack amounted to act of war | Microsoft says systems were exposed in massive SolarWinds hack | Senators push to keep tech liability shield out of UK trade agreement Overnight Defense: Biden team voices concern about ‘abrupt halt’ in Pentagon cooperation | Defense chief pushes back | Lawmakers question whether major cyberattack an act of war MORE (R-Utah) criticized the silence from the White House during an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Big Picture with Olivier Knox.”

“A cyber hack of this nature is really the modern equivalent of almost Russian bombers reportedly flying undetected over the entire country,” Romney said. “In this setting, not to have the White House aggressively speaking out and protesting and taking punitive action is really, really quite extraordinary.”

Various committees have leapt into action since Reuters first disclosed the wide-ranging breach earlier this week, with the incoming leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee announcing Friday that they would hold hearings on the breach next year.

The House Homeland Security and House Oversight and Reform Committees both received a classified briefing on the topic Friday, the day after the committees announced they were opening an investigation into the incident.

Members emerged disgruntled over a lack of information and action from the White House.

“I’m shocked,” House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn MaloneyCarolyn MaloneyLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Overnight Defense: Top US general meets with Taliban | House panel launches probe into cyberattack | Army to issue face masks for soldiers in 2021 House panels launch probe into massive cyberattack that breached federal agencies MORE (D-N.Y.) told C-SPAN of Trump’s inaction. “I’m disappointed that he is not bringing the government together to respond to it to give information to the American people.”

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie ThompsonBennie Gordon ThompsonLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Overnight Defense: Top US general meets with Taliban | House panel launches probe into cyberattack | Army to issue face masks for soldiers in 2021 House panels launch probe into massive cyberattack that breached federal agencies MORE (D-Miss.) cited the need for a cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, a position eliminated by former national security adviser John BoltonJohn BoltonLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Biden vows to make cybersecurity ‘imperative’ following massive hack Trump faces bipartisan, international pushback on Western Sahara recognition MORE in 2018.

“It’s clear in this situation that person would be ideal for us to be talking to,” Thompson told C-SPAN.

A provision to reestablish the cyber czar position has been included in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a sweeping defense funding bill that both chambers approved by bipartisan majorities.

It includes a raft of other critical cybersecurity provisions, including provisions to strengthen CISA’s powers and national defense against cyberattacks.

Trump has said repeatedly he intends to veto the bill over other concerns. Republicans this week made clear that after the SolarWinds breach, the NDAA must be signed into law.

“One of the immediate steps the Administration can take to improve our cyber posture is signing the NDAA into law,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James InhofeJames (Jim) Mountain InhofeLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Lawmakers ask whether massive hack amounted to act of war Trump faces bipartisan, international pushback on Western Sahara recognition MORE (R-Okla.) and ranking member Jack ReedJack ReedLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Lawmakers ask whether massive hack amounted to act of war Biden selects Susan Rice to lead Domestic Policy Council, McDonough for Veterans Affairs MORE (D-R.I.) said in a joint statement on Thursday. “The NDAA is always ‘must-pass’ legislation – but this cyber incident makes it even more urgent that the bill become law without further delay.”

Republican leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, including current ranking member Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack House Republicans who didn’t sign onto the Texas lawsuit House approves defense policy bill despite Trump veto threat MORE (R-Texas) and incoming ranking member Mike RogersMichael (Mike) Dennis RogersLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Mastercard – COVID-19 relief, omnibus talks go down to the wire Biden adviser Richmond tests positive for COVID-19 MORE (R-Ala.), put out a statement Friday lauding the cyber provisions, describing them as providing “critical safeguards” for national security.

Sen. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsLawmakers call for Trump to take action on massive government hack Sen. Alexander plays Christmas carols in Senate office building No, Biden hasn’t won yet — one more nightmare scenario MORE (R-Maine) added to the pressure, tweeting Friday that “The President should immediately sign the NDAA not only to keep our military strong but also because it contains significant cyber security provisions that would help thwart future attacks.”

Beyond the NDAA, Democrats on Friday blasted Trump for not immediately springing into action to address the breach.

“The president should be all over it, it should be his first, second, third concern, the whole government should be all over it,” Maloney said. “It’s deeply concerning, deeply distressing and a huge challenge for our country.”