US cybersecurity agency CISA is said to be in dire straits amid Trump’s cuts and layoffs

The U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA is reportedly in dire straits, according to bipartisan lawmakers and industry leaders who fear the agency’s ability to fulfill its core mission has diminished and left it ill-prepared for a cybersecurity crisis.

Tim Starks of the news site Cyberscoop spoke with sources across Congress, the private internet industry and beyond, and what was reported reflects a general consensus that CISA suffered cuts and layoffs during the first year of the Trump administration.

During that period, CISA lost about a third of its staff, costing it programs, personnel and expertise, including the agency’s anti-ransomware initiative and efforts to promote secure software development. Some of those included several members of the election security team, TechCrunch reported last year. CISA is the federal agency responsible for election security. Some have warned that Trump’s continued obsession with promoting false claims about the 2020 election has led the administration to downgrade CISA priorities.

CISA Also reset Hundreds more employees to assist other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security as part of the Trump administration’s broad crackdown on immigration.

Many Cyberscoop sources blame the Trump administration, Congress, or both. Others pointed to CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gotomukkala, as having struggled to lead the agency and causing security problems as a result.

CISA has been without a permanent director since Trump took office in 2025.

The cybersecurity agency is currently said to be operating at around 38% staff levels as the partial US federal government shutdown, which began on February 14, continues. Lawmakers have refused to continue funding federal immigration authorities amid widespread criticism following the killings of US citizens by federal agents.

When contacted for comment, CISA’s Gottumukkala told TechCrunch that the agency “remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting our federal networks from malicious cyber threat actors despite the government’s multi-week shutdown” of Homeland Security.