The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) might face a budgetary cut of around $707 million for 2027. The cut was proposed last week as part of an omnibus budget proposal that also includes the privatization of airport security. Trump administration claims that the reduction to the U.S.’s top security agency will help it focus on securing federal civilian networks and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, rather than on “weaponization and waste,” according to the administration.
The proposal also alleges that CISA was “focused on censorship,” likely referring to the agency’s efforts to counter misinformation during the 2020 presidential election. With the new changes, the Trump administration claims the adjustments will help the department refocus on its core mission of securing federal civilian networks and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, stepping away from “weaponization and waste,” as the administration puts it.
The budget cut would also eliminate duplicative programs, such as school safety programs, that already exist at the state and federal levels, the document reads.
Was CISA tasked to censor the President’s critics?
President Trump and his administration have regularly denied claims and allegations that CISA was engaged in censorship or targeting the President’s critics, including CISA’s inaugural director Chris Krebs, whom Trump had appointed. If the new budget proposal is passed, it would bring CISA’s operating budget down to about $2 billion. Lawmakers and security experts have warned that CISA is already in a precarious state after a year of cuts, staff reductions, and layoffs, losing hundreds of employees.
The U.S. government has experienced several major hacks in the past year, including a suspected Russian breach of the U.S. courts filing system and Chinese attacks targeting federal government departments.
Other programs that have been shut down by President Trump include the Cyber Safety Review Board, which was investigating how the China-linked Salt Typhoon group breached U.S. government and telecom networks, along with other advisory bodies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Other departments closed by Trump included the Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board, the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Investigations Advisory Board.
