Workforce
Hundreds of DHS staff face reassignments to border security, immigration
Affected workers — including people in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — have been given a week to respond or risk termination from federal service.
Management
Keep Senate confirmation for top intelligence lawyers, civil liberties groups urge
A provision in the 2026 annual intelligence community bill would lift Senate confirmation rules for the chief counsels of the CIA and ODNI. Advocates warn the change would weaken transparency and public oversight of the intelligence community.
Tech
‘Widespread’ breach let hackers steal employee data from FEMA and CBP
A Citrix vulnerability — suspected to have led to firings of multiple FEMA technology staff — enabled the breach, which let hackers pilfer data from FEMA servers connected to states at the southern border.
Management
Senate report accuses DOGE of risking Americans’ data by operating outside federal law
A report released by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said a lack of restrictions on DOGE employees’ collection of sensitive data can result “in serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, privacy violations, and risk of corruption.”
Tech
Pentagon bans tech vendors from using China-based personnel following a ProPublica investigation
The Defense Department has tightened cybersecurity requirements for its cloud services providers. The changes come after ProPublica revealed how Microsoft’s use of China-based engineers left sensitive government
Tech
Over 100 cyber professionals call for quick Kirsten Davies confirmation as DOD CIO
Davies was nominated in May and is scheduled to testify on Thursday.
Tech
US needs an agency to call ‘balls and strikes’ on digital IDs, lawmaker says
Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., said Congress needs to create a federal body capable of auditing identity verification technologies to lay the groundwork for a broad embrace of digital IDs.
Tech
‘Whole-of-nation’ effort needed to deter nation-state hackers, new White House cyber director says
Newly confirmed ONCD director Sean Cairncross wants to work with the private sector to develop a toolkit for stopping foreign hackers and boosting U.S. cyberdefenses.
Management
FEMA begins security overhauls following cyber incident and employee firings
The agency recently blocked users from accessing multiple websites and made password changes to an internet security tool in efforts to shore up its cyber posture, people familiar say.
Workforce
Noem terminates 24 FEMA workers for failing to address cyber vulnerabilities
An internal FEMA email obtained by Nextgov/FCW ordered all agency employees to change their passwords “due to recent cybersecurity incidents and threats.”
Management
CISA’s head of legislative affairs to soon depart
Kate DiEmidio, who most recently served as the top policy executive at Dragos, is leaving voluntarily after spending three months in the role.
Workforce
Lawmakers look to ease educational requirements for federal cyber workforce
New legislation from Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, attempts to expand the U.S. government’s pool of cyber talent by promoting skills-based hiring.
Workforce
Government layoffs are making us less safe in cyberspace, experts fear
There’s been a mass exodus of government cyber expertise during the Trump administration.
Workforce
State Department cuts hit cyber diplomats doing international engagements
Impacted units in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy include the Office of Bilateral and Regional Affairs and Office of Strategy, Programs and Communications.
Tech
Senate panel advances Trump’s national cyber director nominee
Sean Cairncross now faces a vote in the full Senate. He was widely expected to advance out of committee.
Defense
DHS expects Iran’s cyber forces will target US networks after strikes on nuclear sites
Iran has often targeted U.S. digital systems. Last year, Iranian hackers pilfered and distributed sensitive documents from inside President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Workforce
CISA projected to lose a third of its workforce under Trump’s 2026 budget
The White House’s latest spending proposal projects nearly 1,000 jobs will be slashed at the nation’s lead civilian cyber agency. Related cyber and intel programs across government also face funding rollbacks.
Management
Senators urge DHS to reinstate disbanded cyber review board
The board — which was dismissed at the start of the Trump administration — has been viewed as a well-intentioned but imperfect tool for reviewing significant cybersecurity events.
Defense
Trump’s Pentagon-personnel nominee wants to curb DOGE data access
But Anthony Tata, a retired Army general, couldn’t outrun past inflammatory and social media posts during his confirmation hearing.
Tech