Episode description

In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with John Katko, the former ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee. They discuss Katko’s transition from focusing on terrorism to cybersecurity, the establishment and evolution of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the critical legislation Katko championed to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity defenses. Katko also shares insights on the importance of bipartisan cooperation, challenges in cybersecurity staffing and funding, and the need for effective information sharing between government and private sectors.

Main Topics: 

• Establishment and evolution of CISA
• Key cybersecurity legislation and its impact
• Current cybersecurity regulatory landscape 
• Impact of Chevron decision
• Future of cybersecurity and legislative needs

Key Quotes:

"Things really started gravitating and gravitated very quickly toward cyber and cyber attacks. And by the end of my second term, it was quite clear that cyber was the focus... by the time I left Congress, cyber was the preeminent threat to the United States, bar none." - John Katko

"Manpower is such a critical problem that attracting talent and keeping that talent is very hard, especially on a government salary." - John Katko

"So overturning Chevron is going to have a profound effect on [regulating]. And it's going to make legislators have to be legislators. You know, these knuckleheads up on Capitol Hill who don't ever pass a bill, got to roll up their sleeves and do some work." - John Katko

"Too many people are getting in the president's ear [on cyber issues]. You need to have [an ONCD Director] that can sift it all out and give it to the president and see the entire landscape, not just an individual's personal turf." - John Katko

"We can learn a lot from Cyber Command because they're thinking not like a bad guy, but they're thinking, how can we use this in an offensive manner? So we could probably learn a lot from keeping our finger on the pulse of what they're doing with the offensive capabilities in the military for cyber." - John Katko

Bio: John Katko is an accomplished leader who served Central New York in Congress from 2015 until his retirement in 2022.  John was a strong voice on the House Homeland Security Committee and led the Republicans on the committee starting in 2020. As Ranking Member, John prioritized a robust focus on cybersecurity, as well as transportation and airport security. John has strong relationships in New York and Washington across the political spectrum. He is well-respected for his work across the aisle and was consistently ranked among the most bipartisan members of Congress by the nonpartisan Lugar Center.

Related Links:
https://www.hilleastgroup.com/
https://www.cisa.gov/
https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cyber-threats-and-advisories/information-sharing/cyber-incident-reporting-critical-infrastructure-act-2022-circia