WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Angus King (I-Maine), Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, today announced that he worked on a bipartisan basis to provide the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD) with $21 million through the Senate Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Senator King has repeatedly championed the NCD, which was a key recommendation of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission – including by introducing legislation to allow the newly-created office to use non-reimbursable detainees. Last month, Senator King celebrated the swearing-in of Chris Inglis, who was confirmed in June by the U.S. Senate.

“As we work hard to negotiate investments in our infrastructure priorities, it’s essential to support and strengthen the security of our digital networks – which connect our economy and culture just as much as our highways, railways and bridges,” said Senator King, Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that created the position of National Cyber Director.  “As we strengthen our networks against global cyberthreats and ransomware criminals, we must ensure that Director Inglis has the resources to implement a comprehensive plan to protect our society, economy, and nation from those seeking to do us harm.”

The NCD is a brand new position tasked with coordinating the implementation of national cybersecurity policy and strategy. Because the position was created in the middle of a fiscal year, Congress has not yet directly appropriated funding for the Office.  With cyberattacks increasing in both scope and consequence, it is crucial to provide the National Cyber Director the funding and resources necessary to accomplish this important mission. The inclusion of this bipartisan priority in the broader, bipartisan infrastructure package which is allocating approximately $1 trillion for infrastructure projects, will provide a one-time funding allocation of $21 million through Fiscal Year 2022.  

Senator King was joined by his colleagues U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) in negotiating the funding amount into the infrastructure bill.