The U.S. federal agency responsible for cybersecurity, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), is currently facing severe challenges. There is widespread concern among bipartisan lawmakers and industry leaders that the agency’s ability to perform its core mission has been significantly diminished, leaving it ill-prepared to handle a major cybersecurity crisis.
According to reports from the news site Cyberscoop, discussions with sources across Congress, the private cyber industry, and beyond have revealed a consensus that CISA has been severely impacted by a series of layoffs during the first year of the Trump administration.
During this period, CISA has lost approximately one-third of its staff, along with critical programs, personnel, and expertise. Affected initiatives include the agency’s counter-ransomware program and efforts to promote secure software development. As reported by TechCrunch last year, several members of its election security team were also among those who left. As the federal agency responsible for election security, warnings have been raised that former President Trump’s persistent promotion of false claims regarding the 2020 election has led the current administration to deprioritize CISA.
Për më tepër, to support the previous administration’s broad immigration crackdown, CISA reassigned hundreds of employees to other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, further dispersing its core workforce.
Among Cyberscoop’s sources, the majority blame the Trump administration, Congress, or both. Some individuals also pointed to the agency’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, citing struggles in leadership that have reportedly led to security concerns. CISA has been without a permanent director since Trump took office in 2025.
Compounding these issues, as the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government, which began on February 14, continues, CISA is reportedly operating at only about 38% of its normal staffing levels. Following widespread criticism over the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents, lawmakers have declined to continue funding federal immigration enforcement agencies.