Kristi Noem: 20th Century Thinking For 21st Century Problems?

Russia's hacking of American elections may be the tip of the iceberg.

Now intelligence agencies and security companies have connected Russian hackers to the shutdown of a German steel mill, the cutting off of phone and Internet service to some 900,000 Germans, and most ominously, two disruptions of the power grid in Ukraine. The right takeaway from Russian interference in 2016 is not just that Washington needs to protect American elections; it’s also that what Russia does in cyberspace in its near abroad should be a warning about what can be done in the United States.

The job of protecting the the United States from foreign cyber aggression got a bit tougher. Yesterday, three people in charge of protecting the grid and the election infrastructure announced their retirement. They will be taking jobs in the private sector.

Three of the top cybersecurity officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation are retiring from government service, according to people familiar with the matter—departures that come as cyberattacks are a major concern for the country’s security agencies. 

Senior U.S. intelligence officials warn that the country is at a “critical point” facing unprecedented cyberthreats, including Russia’s ongoing attacks on the American political system. They retirements also come as the FBI is facing regular criticism from President Donald Trump and his supporters, and is working to attract and retain top cyber talent.

Other that driving experienced people from the FBI to the private sector, Republicans seem to have no plan to deal with foreign cyber attacks. In May, the White House eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted against funding extra election security measures. The vote was a strict party line vote.

Instead of protecting the nation's election infrastructure, a Republican leader offered a 20th Century solution to a 21st Century problem.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, discounted the need for any new security spending. 

“I know what we need for safe and secure elections, and that’s voter ID,” Jordan said.

A laminated card with a photograph won't prevent voting machines from being hacked. Further, Republicans have not made protecting the country's power grid a priority. When it comes to digital infrastructure Congressional Republicans seem to maintaining a Commodore 64 mindset. 

Representative Kristi Noem joined her Republican cohorts and rejected extra funding for extra election security measures. I have not heard her criticize President Trump for his attacks on the FBI nor his decision to eliminate the office of cybersecurity coordinator. The energy section of her House of Representatives webpage promotes Keystone XL Pipeline and tax credits but says nothing about protecting the power grid. In short, she's advocating issues and policies that would have been at home in the Reagan administration, the era when the Commodore 64 was new.

The next governor of South Dakota will have to deal with economic, political, and cultural issues brought on by the digital age. Noem's candidate page mentions increasing rural broadband, but "the creation of  'a national, competitive, deregulatory telecommunications policy' to bring the promise of broadband communications networks and services 'to all Americans wherever they live'" was an issue in 1999. It's certainly not a cutting edge proposal. If Representative Noem has nothing to offer but 20th Century thinking, she is unprepared to serve as governor in the 21st Century.