Cybersecurity Policy Report, ‘Clock Ticking’ on Renewal of Cyber Threat Info-Sharing Law, Sen. Peters Warns, (Sep 22, 2025)

By Tom Leithauser

It was “disappointing” that Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, canceled a committee meeting to consider the extension of a law that encourages the public and private sectors to share information about cyber threats, according to Sen. Gary Peters (D., Mich.), the committee’s ranking member.

The committee had planned to meet last Thursday to consider draft legislation sponsored by Sen. Paul, the Free Speech Protection and Reforming Expiring Authorities Act, which would have reauthorized provisions of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA 2015) through Sept. 30, 2027 (CPR, Sept. 16).

But the meeting was “abruptly canceled,” Sen. Peters noted during remarks on the Senate floor on Friday.

CISA 2015 is “an absolutely invaluable cornerstone of our national cyber security defense,” and its expiration on Sept. 30 would leave the U.S. “exposed, vulnerable, and defenseless” in cyberspace, Sen. Peters said.

Sen. Peters wrapped up his floor remarks by requesting that the Senate immediately approve, by unanimous consent, legislation he introduced with Sen. Mike Rounds (D., S.D.) that would reauthorize CISA 2015’s provisions through 2035 (CPR, April 16).

But Sen. Paul voiced an objection, blocking Sen. Peters’ unanimous consent request. Sen. Paul didn’t elaborate on the reason for his objection. He’s expressed opposition to any legislation to reauthorize CISA 2015 unless it also bans federal agencies from flagging online mis- and disinformation (CPR, July 25).

In his floor remarks, Sen. Peters noted that a wide range of groups and individuals supported the reauthorization of CISA 2015, which encourages cyber threat information-sharing by shielding private sector entities from the legal repercussions of their information-sharing activities.

“This is a voluntary program that industry stakeholders and the Trump administration are asking us to renew. Organizations, including the Business Roundtable, the Business Software Alliance, the Bank Policy Institute, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Information Technology Industry Council—and I can go on and on—all support extending these critical protections to ensure that businesses can effectively share information with the federal government and work collaboratively when a breach occurs,” he said.

“That is why it was disappointing to see that, after making a public commitment to working on renewing this legislation earlier this year, the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee abruptly canceled a committee business meeting ... where we were expected to debate and vote on this very important bill and extension,” he said.

“Committee members on both sides of the aisle want to see action to prevent this law from expiring in the next few days, but we were blocked from even having a discussion about the policy or draft legislation,” Sen. Peters continued.

“The chairman’s actions are not only at odds with our committee and my colleagues who sit on the Homeland Security Committee but with our colleagues on the House Homeland Security Committee,” he said.

The House committee, he noted, voted 25-0 for legislation that would reauthorize the provisions of CISA 2015 through 2035 (CPR, Sept. 3).

The full House on Friday approved a stopgap spending bill that would leave CISA 2015 in place through Nov. 21, but that bill stalled in the Senate (CPR, Sept. 19).

“The clock is ticking,” Sen. Peters warned. “On Oct. 1, if Congress fails to reauthorize the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, we are set to lose an absolutely invaluable cornerstone of our national cyber security defense.”

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