Obama to bypass Congress on CISPA with cybersecurity executive order
RT,
11
February, 2013
Unable
to reach a deal with Congress, President Obama plans to use his power
to exert executive actions against the will of lawmakers. The
president will issue orders addressing controversial topics including
cybersecurity.
Although
President Obama has issued fewer executive orders than any president
in over 100 years, he is making extensive plans to change that,
Washington Post reports. Due to conflicts with a Congress that too
often disagrees on proposed legislation, Obama plans to act alone and
fully exercise his executive powers, according to the newspaper that
quotes people involved in discussions on the issue .
Obama’s
first executive order is expected to be issued this week when the
president calls for the creation of new standards on what
private-sector companies must do to protect their computer systems
from a cybersecurity breach.
The
order is a direct response to Congress’ refusal to pass the Cyber
Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) last year, which the
administration deemed crucial to prevent crippling attacks on the
nation’s infrastructure. But members of Congress who opposed the
legislation cited
serious privacy concerns with giving the government greater access to
Americans’ personal information that only private companies and
servers might have access to.
Despite
opposition from lawmakers, the president will use his executive
powers to issue an order addressing cybersecurity initiatives.
“It
is a very dangerous road he’s going down contrary to the spirit of
the Constitution,” Sen.
Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) told the Washington Post. “Just
because Congress doesn’t act doesn’t mean the president has a
right to act.”
But
the president has increasingly been issuing executive orders,
including 23 actions addressing gun violence after the shooting at
Sandy Hook Elementary School. The 23 orders angered lawmakers who are
opposed to tighter gun legislation. Sen. Rand Paul
(R-Ky.) accused the
president of demonstrating a “king
complex” by
exerting so many orders.
Major
executive actions implemented by the president also include orders
delaying deportations of young illegal immigrants and orders to lower
student loan payments.
The
president plans to have a greater impact during his second term by
increasing his number of executive actions. He is currently
considering extending anti-discrimination protections for homosexuals
employed by the government and working with the Environmental
Protection Agency to regulate carbon emissions. He is also planning
to allow nearly 11 million struggling homeowners to refinance their
mortgages at low interest rates.
The
White House has made it clear that if Congress continues to disagree
on issues that Obama considers important, the president will go ahead
and use his power to pass new laws on his own.
And
even though the president has passed executive orders at a lower rate
than most of his predecessors – including former Presidents George
W. Bush and Bill Clinton, doing so has not come without criticism.
"Obama's
increasing reliance on executive orders to push policy and skirt
congressional deliberation is worrisome,"tweeted
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The
president is expected to reference some of his imminent executive
actions in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
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