The U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA is reportedly facing significant challenges, with concerns from bipartisan lawmakers and industry leaders about its diminished capacity to fulfill its core mission and its unpreparedness for a cybersecurity crisis.
According to Cyberscoop’s Tim Starks, who consulted with sources across Congress, the private cyber industry, and others, it’s widely acknowledged that CISA has been impacted by staff cuts and layoffs during the first year of the Trump administration.
Throughout this period, CISA lost about one-third of its personnel, affecting its programs and expertise, including counter-ransomware initiatives and secure software development efforts. This included several election security team members, as reported by TechCrunch last year. CISA is charged with federal election security, but the administration has allegedly deprioritized it amid false election claims promoted by Trump.
Additionally, hundreds of CISA staffers were reassigned to support other Homeland Security agencies as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Sources from Cyberscoop attributed these issues to the Trump administration, Congress, or both. Some specifically criticized CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, for her leadership struggles and causing security issues.
Since Trump took office in 2025, CISA has lacked a permanent director.
The agency operates at around 38% staff levels due to a prolonged U.S. government shutdown starting February 14. Lawmakers have withheld further funding for immigration authorities following criticism after two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents.
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Contacted for comment, CISA’s Gottumukkala told TechCrunch that despite the multi-week Homeland Security shutdown, the agency “remains unwavering in its commitment to protect our federal networks from malicious cyber threat actors.”