The Trump administration plans to cut the cybersecurity agency’s budget by $700 million

The Trump administration plans to cut the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s budget by at least $707 million for 2027.

Proposed budget reduction [pdf] It was released late last week as part of a comprehensive budget proposal that includes privatizing airport security.

The Trump administration claims that shrinking the US’s top cybersecurity agency will refocus its “core mission” of securing the federal civilian grid and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, not “weaponizing and wasteful,” as the administration has claimed.

The proposal also claimed that CISA is “focused on oversight,” likely a reference to the agency’s efforts to counter misinformation during the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.

The document states that the budget cuts would also eliminate duplicative programs, such as school safety programs, that already exist at the state and federal levels.

Since taking office for a second term in 2025, President Trump and his administration have repeatedly made and refuted false claims that CISA is engaged in surveillance, and have attacked the president’s critics, including CISA’s inaugural director, Chris Krebs, who was appointed by Trump.

The Trump administration last year made similar false claims about CISA’s election security program when it proposed cutting the agency’s budget by nearly $500 million, or about 17% of its federal budget. Lawmakers reversed last year’s cuts, narrowing the proposed budget cut to about $135 million after negotiations.

If the budget proposal passes, it would reduce CISA’s operating budget to about $2 billion. Lawmakers and security experts alike have warned that CISA is already in dire straits, after a year of cuts, staff cuts, layoffs, and the loss of hundreds of employees.

CISA has not had a permanent, Senate-confirmed director since Trump took office again in 2025.

The US government has seen several major hacks in the past year, including the suspected Russian breach of the US court filing system, Chinese attacks targeting federal government departments, and Iranian hackers who leaked the personal email of FBI Director Kash Patel.