Obama Beseeches Governors To Work Together on Cybersecurity

President Barack Obama wants to involve states more in combating cybersecurity threats, he told governors Monday at a National Governors Association reception in the White House State Dining Room. The governors had gathered in Washington for their winter meeting over the weekend. “This is a complex challenge, and we’re not going to be able to meet it alone,” Obama said. “We’ve made a lot of progress these past seven years, including sharing more information with industry and with your states. But all of us are still vulnerable.” He mentioned the launch this month of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan and a pending “major overhaul” of federal computer systems. “I want to do more with your states, including sharing more information about threats, improving our joint response capabilities,” he said. Obama referred to a new bipartisan commission he has formed and said he will want feedback from state governors. “And I think that we probably have some good ideas about where your vulnerabilities are in terms of your state databases and what you’re doing there,” he told the governors. “So that’s an area where I think we can probably work together.” Obama also mentioned that the governors can apply pressure to Congress on other priorities, such as approval of the administration’s Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. “It is inconceivable if, for example, you are in California, that you don’t want a Trans-Pacific Partnership that ensures the gateway for commerce in the Pacific is open to California businesses and workers for decades to come,” Obama said. “It’s inconceivable that you’d be opposed to that.”