President Trump’s new budget includes a request to increase cybersecurity personnel and funding across several federal departments, including $1.5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). The NPPD is a DHS unit responsible for protecting US infrastructure from cyber threats. The DHS is responsible for protecting critical infrastructure and federal networks from cyber intrusions.
The budget document, released by the Office of Management and Budget earlier this morning, states: “The Budget supports the President’s focus on cybersecurity to ensure strong programs and technology to defend the Federal networks that serve the American people, and continues efforts to share information, standards, and best practices with critical infrastructure and American businesses to keep them secure[.]” The budget document also proposes to increase law enforcement and cyber personnel at DHS, the FBI and Department of Defense.
The President’s budget comes on the heels of his recent Executive Order aimed at strengthening cybersecurity across federal networks, critical infrastructure, and the nation writ large. It also comes in the wake of federal departments and agencies, such as DHS, Health and Human Services, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, focusing their efforts on cybersecurity in medical devices, mobile devices, financial services, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
