May 23, 2017–The Trump administration is requesting an increase of about $500 million in fiscal year 2018 for the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity programs compared with FY 2017 for a total of $1.5 billion, according to budget documents released today.The request includes $971.3 million “to improve security of the U.S. cyber infrastructure in collaboration with public, private, and international partners,” DHS said.

The department is requesting an increase of $49.2 million for the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, a 24-hour watch center that includes participants from other federal agencies and the private sector.

The increase would enable the NCCIC “to execute new authorities under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, including providing federal governance and training and cyber engineering assistance to federal departments, agencies, and individual stakeholders to effectively secure high-value systems from cyber threats,” DHS said. The department is also seeking $397.2 million for its efforts to deploy the EINSTEIN network intrusion detection system at civilian federal agencies.

Overall, DHS is requesting $44.1 billion, an increase of $2.8 billion (6.7%) over its FY 2017 spending.  “The president’s budget prioritizes funding for programs that address our nation’s immediate security needs, and it supports the dedicated men and women of this department as they execute DHS’s wide-ranging and critical missions,” DHS Secretary John Kelly said in a statement.

But Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D., Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, complained that the DHS budget request reflected misplaced priorities.  “The FY 2018 budget submitted by the president is a disgrace,” Rep. Thompson said in a statement.  “It reflects his fundamental misunderstanding of the federal government’s role in national security.”

“At a time when the threats to the homeland are evolving at a rapid pace, this president wants to cut the research and development programs that could deliver the next-generation technologies we need to stay safe,” he added.  “He makes these cuts to free up money to build a wall – a wall that stands no chance of preventing the kind of attack we saw last night or making our southern border more secure.” — Tom Leithauser, tom.leithauser@wolterskluwer.com

Courtesy TRDaily