CISA cuts spark bipartisan push to rebuild agency

Bipartisan lawmakers pressed this week to rebuild the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency after Trump administration cuts reduced the agency’s workforce by more than 1,000 employees. A House oversight hearing turned into a rare show of cross-party support for restoring a federal security agency.

The dispute is over whether CISA can keep its core mission intact after layoffs, resignations and transfers cut into staffing and outside engagement. Lawmakers from both parties said the agency still needs the people and partnerships it uses to work with state governments, election officials and critical infrastructure operators, according to Federal News Network.

On paper, the hearing covered CISA, TSA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate. The Congress.gov notice for the session said as much. Much of the session, though, centered on CISA’s staffing losses and whether the cuts had weakened its partnership work.

Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, said the administration had gone too far in cutting the agency and weakening its operations.

“Unfortunately, this administration has weakened CISA in the last year.”

Don Bacon, Republican representative from Nebraska, via Federal News Network

His remarks made Bacon one of the clearest Republican voices in the hearing to argue that the cuts had gone too far.

Representative James Walkinshaw, a Virginia Democrat, said rebuilding the agency’s capacity should remain a priority even in a divided Congress. In comments reported by Federal News Network, he said lawmakers still saw room for agreement on cybersecurity and infrastructure protection.

“In terms of bipartisan areas of agreement here in Congress, restoring and expanding those capabilities and those partnerships right now should be a top priority.”

James Walkinshaw, Democratic representative from Virginia, via Federal News Network

Walkinshaw said the fight was not only about headcount. He pointed to the agency’s ties with state officials and private operators that rely on federal alerts and coordination.

CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, defended the agency’s direction while acknowledging the depth of the staffing loss. Cybersecurity Dive reported that an internal report put the number of employees who had quit, been laid off or transferred since Trump took office at 998.

“A disciplined mission requires the right workforce,” Gottumukkala told lawmakers, adding that CISA needed staff who were “more capable and skilled.”

He said the agency did not need to restore every lost job, while lawmakers backing a rebuild questioned whether the reductions had already cut too deeply.

Federal News Network described the overall loss as more than 1,000 employees over 15 months, while Cybersecurity Dive cited the internal report’s figure of 998 since Trump took office. Both tallies pointed to a steep staffing decline at an agency built around constant coordination with outside partners.

Cuts hit partnership work

A separate Federal News Network report in April said CISA’s Stakeholder Engagement Division lost 96 of its 189 staff since January 2025. The same report said the administration’s fiscal 2027 budget request would leave that office with 62 positions.

That division handles outreach to outside partners. Lawmakers said CISA cannot protect civilian networks and critical systems by working inward only, and the agency’s role with state and local officials has kept election security in the debate.

If the office falls from 189 staff to 62, its reach would shrink sharply even before Congress decides whether to add back positions.

The hearing laid out two competing views of CISA’s future. Lawmakers pressing for restoration focused on lost capacity and stalled partnerships. Gottumukkala defended a leaner agency centered on mission discipline and workforce mix.

What Congress does next

The hearing did not produce a funding deal. It did show that support for rebuilding parts of CISA extends beyond one party.

Lawmakers now move to appropriations and oversight, where staffing levels and program lines can become bargaining points even with the White House pushing the other way.

Congress will next decide whether bipartisan concern turns into headcount, money or narrower instructions for the agency’s outside engagement work. One test will be whether lawmakers accept a fiscal 2027 plan that would leave the Stakeholder Engagement Division with 62 positions. For now, restoring CISA remains one of the few security issues drawing public agreement from both Republicans and Democrats.