Harry Reid wants to put consideration of a cybersecurity bill ahead of defense authorization. | JAY WESTCOTT/POLITICO Reid urges action on cybersecurity

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday defended his decision to address cybersecurity reform before the defense reauthorization — and he used the words of his chief critic on the timing, Sen. John McCain, as justification.

After McCain (R-Ariz.) slammed Reid’s legislative priorities on the floor Monday as “bizarre,” Reid opened the session Tuesday by recalling McCain’s own comments months ago about the need to protect power, water and air traffic control systems from cyberattacks.


Without the cybersecurity bill, Reid said, the vulnerabilities would put “our national security at risk.” He added that the absence of new protections “recklessly endangers our armed forces.”

McCain doesn’t support the approach to cybersecurity reform backed by Reid and other members. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and other sponsors of the bill plan to emphasize the concessions they’ve made to win Republican support at a press conference later Tuesday.

McCain, however, said on the floor Monday the new measure is still flawed. While criticizing Reid’s decision not to turn to defense after the tax bill, McCain said cybersecurity reform has “zero chance of passing the House of Representatives or even ever being signed into law.”