With Will Hurd’s Retirement, Congress Loses a Key Cybersecurity Advocate

Representative Will Hurd (R-TX) will not seek re-election in 2020, becoming the sixth GOP representative and the third Texan in 10 days to announce retirement. A former CIA officer, Hurd had distinguished himself among lawmakers for his attention to cybersecurity issues, including a support for encryption.

He has been an outspoken and consistent advocate of strong encryption for consumers, a rarity when many knowledgeable security experts only endorse it after they have left public service. Hurd has criticized the notion that encryption hampers investigations in a meaningful way. He has been out of step with Republican leaders on various other issues, and won re-election narrowly in 2018.

He has backed legislation such as the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Act to establish minimum security standards for devices purchased by the federal government, and the Federal CIO Authorization Act to codify the job of the U.S. CIO.