Trump’s pick to run the US cyber agency CISA has requested to withdraw from his position

Trump, his two picks to run the US federal cybersecurity agency CISA, has asked to withdraw from the position, leaving the agency without anyone clear to lead it on a permanent basis.

In a letter to the White House on Wednesday, Sean Blankey asked the Trump administration to withdraw his nomination, citing obstruction in the Senate, which must hold a vote to approve his appointment.

Blankey said it had “become clear” that the Senate would not confirm his nomination, more than a year after he was first nominated to lead CISA.

The New York Times published a copy of Blanqui’s letter on Thursday. Politico first reported Blanqui’s decision to withdraw his nomination. Both publications said Blankey was unlikely to reach the majority of votes needed for his appointment as Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) was blocking his nomination over a Coast Guard contract unrelated to cybersecurity. Blankey previously served as a senior advisor to Coast Guard Command.

Nick Andersen has been acting director of CISA since the departure of Madhu Gottumukkala in February. Gottomukkala was appointed in May 2025 to oversee the agency on an interim basis but left less than a year later after a tumultuous stint in the position.

CISA is charged by Congress with defending cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across the civilian federal government. The agency has faced a challenging year, with at least three government shutdowns, several rounds of furloughs, budget cuts and staff reductions as directed by the White House, despite a slew of cyberattacks faced by the US government and its allies over the past year.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration requested a more than $700 million cut in CISA’s budget amid allegations that the agency was engaging in “censorship” — a reference to CISA’s efforts to counter election misinformation during the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.

A White House spokesman did not immediately comment on whether the administration had accepted Blankey’s request to withdraw his nomination, nor would he say who the Trump administration plans to nominate to be the permanent director of the agency.