Dems Introduce Bill To Block Trump’s Proposed Cybersecurity Team Up With Russia

Reps. Brandon Boyle (D-Penn.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) introduced a bill Wednesday prohibiting the U.S. from forming a collaborative cybersecurity unit with Russia.

The bill, called the No Cyber Cooperation with Russia Act, is in response to a proposal floated by President Trump.

“Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded,” Trump tweeted on Sunday.

Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017

The Hill added:

The proposal worried many lawmakers and security experts, who believe Russia might use the project to scout out U.S. digital strategies and tactics.

Trump later backtracked, saying: “The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn’t mean I think it can happen. It can’t.”

“President Trump has proposed plenty of dumb ideas in his first six months in office, but a cybersecurity partnership with Russia might be the very worst,” said Gallego, in a statement announcing the bill.

“Simply put, we would be inviting the fox into the hen house.”