Trump Overturns Biden Cybersecurity Rules in New EO

Major Policy Shifts in Cybersecurity Landscape

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that fundamentally reshapes U.S. cybersecurity policies established by former Presidents Biden and Obama. The controversial move represents a significant rollback of recent digital security initiatives.

Targeting Biden’s Last-Minute Cybersecurity Order

The Trump administration specifically took aim at Biden’s Executive Order 14144, which was enacted in the final days of his presidency. In an official statement, the White House criticized the order as introducing “problematic and distracting issues into cybersecurity policy.”

A particularly contentious change involves digital identity verification. Biden’s policy had encouraged agencies to accept digital IDs for public benefits – a provision Trump eliminated over concerns it could enable “improper access by illegal immigrants.”

AI Security Policies Redefined

The order makes substantial changes to AI-related cybersecurity measures, including:

• Eliminating requirements for AI testing to protect energy infrastructure
• Cutting federal funding for AI security research programs
• Removing Pentagon directives to leverage AI for cybersecurity

The administration framed these moves as shifting focus toward “identifying and managing vulnerabilities” rather than what they call “AI censorship” – a frequent complaint from Trump’s Silicon Valley allies.

Encryption and Contract Security Overhaul

Additional significant changes include:

• Removing mandates for quantum-resistant encryption adoption
• Scrapping security attestation requirements for federal contractors

The White House labeled the contractor rules as “burdensome compliance checklists” that hampered rather than enhanced security.

Reversal of Obama-Era Cyber Sanctions

Trump’s order also rolls back Obama’s cybersecurity sanctions framework. The revised policy now limits sanctions exclusively to “foreign malicious actors,” explicitly excluding domestic political opponents and election-related activities from potential penalties.

Cyber policy expert Mark Montgomery told Politico the changes appear to prioritize political concerns over cybersecurity benefits, particularly regarding the digital ID provisions.