White House and Congress Legislate on Cybersecurity; Obama’s Efforts to Help SMBs Considered

• White House drafts preliminary executive order intended to protect U.S. computer systems. Congress back in session; expected to react.
• The Obama administration has sought to boost loans to small businesses.

The White House has drafted a preliminary executive order with the hope of protecting our nation’s computer systems, says the Washington Post. The exact dimensions of the order are still being debated, but it would create voluntary standards for businesses.

With Congress back in session, the big question now is how the nation’s lawmakers will respond to the Obama administration’s pursuit of an executive order on cybersecurity, says The Hill. Some believe that Congress – in light of the White House pursuing the controversial bill on its own – won’t be able to pass an information-sharing bill as battle lines are being drawn for the election.

Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post, the Obama administration’s biggest effort to help small businesses has actually been on the lending front. Although banks slowed their lending to entrepreneurs and small businesses since the recession hit, Obama has tried several different tactics to help – most prominently the Small Business Lending Fund – but these haven’t brought about the originally anticipated boost.