President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget proposal calls for nearly $11 billion to be set aside for cybersecurity, most of which would go to the Department of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security’s initiatives and operations.
Under the Administration’s budget proposal some $9.6 billion for cybersecurity would be allocated to the DOD's three primary cyber missions: Protect DOD's networks and IT systems; support military objectives; and, defend the nation. The DoD funding level would provide the “resources necessary to grow the capacity of U.S. military cyber forces (including the recently elevated United States Cyber Command), invest in the cyber workforce, and continue to maintain the highest cybersecurity standards at DOD,” the President’s budget proposal reads.
The Office for Civil Rights and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, both of which operate under the Department of Health and Human Services, would face cuts under Trump’s budget.
To get a clearer idea of how the Administration views cybersecurity priorities in addition to DoD funding, here’s the budget proposal by agency:
$1 billion: Homeland Security for cybersecurity programs and initiatives, including hiring 150 new cybersecurity employees by the end of 2020.
"These resources would increase the number of DHS-led network risk assessments from 473 to 684 - including assessments of state and local electoral systems - as well as for additional tools and services, such as the EINSTEIN and the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation programs, to reduce the cybersecurity risk to federal information technology networks," the document reads.
$156 million: Department of Energy to support the agency’s recently established Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response.
“This funding would support early-stage R&D activities that improve cybersecurity and resilience to enable the private sector to harden and evolve critical infrastructure, including protecting critical infrastructure from both natural and man-made events,” the proposal said.
$125 million: Treasury Department to upgrade the department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which handles cryptocurrency and combats digital crime. An additional $18 million would be used to protect Treasury IT systems against cybersecurity threats.
$13 million: Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Compliance Policy to enhance the Department’s capacity to identify and remediate new vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
A small, unspecified amount: Set aside for the FBI’s cybersecurity efforts.
What’s not in the budget: The hundreds of millions needed to upgrade election cybersecurity to stop foreign adversaries (e.g., Russia, North Korea, China) from hacking electronic ballot boxes to meddle in the 2020 election.
