In his final days in office, President Biden signed an ambitious executive order to improve the federal government's approach to cybersecurity. How this sweeping order will fare under the Trump Administration is difficult to predict—below are key takeaways from a DWT Insight by Michael T. Borgia, Andrew Lewis, and Jóna Mays.
Read the full Insight: Analyzing President Biden's Ambitious Cybersecurity Executive Order
Key Takeaways
- Biden's Executive Order: Issued January 16, 2025, Executive Order 14114, titled "Strengthening and Promoting Innovation in the Nation's Cybersecurity," has major implications for federal contractors, particularly cloud service and other technology providers.
- Uncertain Future: EO 14114 was not included on President Trump's January 20 list of revoked executive orders. While President Biden and President Trump shared similar goals and initiatives related to federal cybersecurity, EO 14114's ambitious efforts and timelines may run afoul of Trump's policy priorities to cut regulations. Expansions of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) authority also could prove controversial with Republicans.
- Cybersecurity Moves Under Trump: Initial skirmishes over the government's cybersecurity priorities are already underway. On President Trump's first day in office, the Department of Homeland Security dismissed all members of DHS advisory boards, including the Cyber Safety Review Board and various other cybersecurity-focused boards.
- Recent CISA Criticism: CISA, which was created in 2018 by a law signed by President Trump in his first term, has come under increasing criticism, including for a perceived inability to effectively share cyber threat intelligence and allegations of political bias in its election misinformation and disinformation efforts.
- However: CISA employees have been told that they cannot accept federal employee deferred buyouts because they are related to national security, indicating that CISA will continue to have an important role in the new Trump Administration.
