The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is facing a severe operational crisis, with its ability to protect national infrastructure from cyber threats significantly diminished, according to a report by Cyberscoop. The agency, responsible for federal cybersecurity and election security, has lost approximately one-third of its staff over the past year.
Sources across Congress and the private cybersecurity industry told reporter Tim Starks that budget cuts and layoffs during the first year of the Trump administration have cost the agency critical programs, personnel, and expertise. CISA is currently operating at around 38% staff capacity, a situation exacerbated by an ongoing partial US federal government shutdown that began on February 14.
Programmes Gutted and Expertise Lost
The staff reductions have led to the dismantling of key initiatives, including CISA's counter-ransomware programme and efforts to promote secure software development. The agency has also seen departures from its election security team. Critics link this deprioritisation to former President Donald Trump's continued promotion of false claims about the 2020 election.
Furthermore, CISA reassigned hundreds of staffers to support other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security as part of the administration's broad immigration crackdown, diverting resources from its core cybersecurity mission.
Leadership Vacuum and Internal Struggles
Compounding the crisis, CISA has been without a permanent director since Trump entered office in 2025. The agency is currently led by acting director Madhu Gottumukkala. Multiple sources cited by Cyberscoop singled out Gottumukkala as having struggled to lead the agency effectively, reportedly causing security headaches as a result.
When contacted for comment by TechCrunch, Gottumukkala stated the agency "remains unwavering in its commitment to protect our federal networks from malicious cyber threat actors despite the multi-week government shutdown" of Homeland Security.
Blame and Broader Context
Responsibility for the agency's dire state is attributed by sources to the Trump administration, Congress, or both. The partial government shutdown, now in its third week, stems from lawmakers declining to continue funding federal immigration authorities. This followed widespread criticism after two US citizens were killed by federal agents.
The consensus among experts is that the cumulative effect of staff losses, programme cuts, and leadership instability has left CISA unprepared to handle a major cybersecurity crisis, posing a significant risk to national security.