The U.S. cybersecurity agency, CISA, is reportedly in dire straits, with concerns that its ability to carry out its core mission has diminished and left it unprepared for cybersecurity crises, according to a bipartisan group of lawmakers and industry leaders.
Tim Starks of the news site CyberScoop spoke with officials in Congress, the private cyber industry and elsewhere, and the findings reflected a general consensus that CISA has suffered through layoffs and layoffs during the first year of the Trump administration.
During this time, CISA lost approximately one-third of its staff, resulting in the loss of programs, personnel, and expertise, including the agency’s anti-ransomware efforts and efforts to promote secure software development. TechCrunch reported last year that included several members of the election security team. CISA is the federal agency responsible for election security. Some have warned that President Trump’s continued obsession with spreading false claims about the 2020 election is leading to the administration’s deprioritization of CISA.
CISA It was also reassigned Hundreds of other employees were deployed to support other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security as part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
Many of Cyberscoop’s sources blame the Trump administration, Congress, or both. Some sources have singled out Madhu Gotumukkara, the acting director of CISA, for reportedly having trouble leading CISA and resulting in security troubles.
CISA has not had a permanent director since President Trump took office in 2025.
As the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government that began on February 14 continues, the Cybersecurity Agency is said to be currently operating at approximately 38% staffing levels. Lawmakers have refused to continue funding federal immigration agencies amid widespread criticism following the killings of two Americans by federal agents.
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When asked for comment, CISA’s Gottumukkala told TechCrunch that the Department of Homeland Security “remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting federal networks from malicious cyber attackers, despite weeks of government shutdowns.”
