14 DAY TRIAL // President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan contains billions of dollars earmarked for enhancing cybersecurity. The initiative is the response for fuel prices skyrocketing due to the recent Colonial Pipeline attack.
However, the precise amount that will be spent on strengthening cyber defense is unknown.
The proposal is known as the $2 trillion American Jobs Plan and includes $20 billion for the local, state, and tribal governments. The role is to enhance energy systems in exchange for meeting cybersecurity standards. According to a fact sheet obtained by Bloomberg, the plan feature $2 billion more for grid resilience in high-risk areas,
As part of a larger security initiative, the plan may include high-speed broadband access for grant recipients. The requirements entail buying from trusted suppliers and introducing cybersecurity steps. Furthermore, the package includes a new tax incentive for transmission networks, which the administration hopes will promote greater cyber capability.
The White House is currentlydiscussing the bill with a coalition of Senate Republicans. The counterproposal is on Tuesday.
Administration officials emphasized that the employment plan proposals are only one aspect of a larger strategy to elevate cyber problems throughout the federal government.
Biden wants enhanced cybersecurity
The White House said in the fact sheet that “Cybersecurity is one of the preeminent challenges of our time, which is why President Biden has made strengthening U.S. cybersecurity capabilities a top priority”.
On May 12, Biden signed an executive order aimed at improving the federal government's knowledge about cyberattacks within the private sector. The order also has the role of implementing improved safety standards across the board. In the long term, it is expected that the United States can respond more quickly to attacks on both public and private infrastructure.
Last month, Biden unveiled his fiscal 2022 budget outline. $2.1 billion are allocated for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency, a sum that that is around $110 million more than its funding for 2021.
The Colonial cyberattack is the latest in a string of crippling cyberattacks on American government institutions, corporations, and health care facilities.