Top cyber lawmaker wants answers on CISA workforce reductions

The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee’s cyber panel wants an update on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s workforce after recent and repeated actions were taken to shrink the size of the cyberdefense office.

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California on Tuesday asked CISA’s acting director Madhu Gottumukkala to clarify the current size of the agency’s workforce by division level, as well as how many employees have been terminated or reassigned to other components of the Department of Homeland Security, according to a letter seen by Nextgov/FCW.

Cybersecurity has long been a bipartisan matter in Washington, though CISA has come under Republican scrutiny for its work targeting mis- and disinformation in recent years. The Trump administration has framed major cuts to CISA’s workforce — which began in February — as a “refocus” of its mission, arguing the agency strayed into censorship when it coordinated with social-media companies to flag false information online about divisive topics like COVID-19 and the 2020 election.

As recently as Friday, CISA employees were targeted in more layoffs fueled by the ongoing government shutdown, hitting bureaus including its Infrastructure Security and Stakeholder Engagement divisions.

“I demand you immediately cease all efforts to cut CISA’s workforce, reinstate employees who were transferred or dismissed and provide details on the impacts of the agency’s workforce reductions,” wrote Swalwell.

He also accused CISA of withholding information about recent workforce cuts, saying that, despite repeated requests for a briefing, DHS has not disclosed a final figure on how many cyber staff have actually left, forcing Congress to rely on outdated public figures.

He later added: “Even though CISA is already operating with a significantly reduced workforce during a time of unprecedented cybersecurity threats, multiple reports indicate that CISA employees are now being forcibly reassigned to other DHS components to support the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.”

The missive cited relevant Nextgov/FCW reporting on those shifts, officially dubbed management-directed reassignments.

He also pressed CISA for figures on employees who signed onto DHS’s April Workforce Transition Program, which allowed staff seeking to exit the agency to do so through deferred resignation, early retirement or a separation package.

“I should not need to remind you that cybersecurity threats pose a significant and growing risk to our national security,” Swalwell wrote.

In a statement to Nextgov/FCW, a DHS spokesperson said the agency "is delivering timely, actionable cyber threat intelligence, supporting federal, state, and local partners, and defending against both nation-state and criminal cyber threats."

"During the Biden Administration, Rep. Swalwell had no issue with CISA performing duties outside of its statutory authority – including censorship, branding, and electioneering," they said. "Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, CISA focused squarely on executing its statutory mission: serving as the national coordinator for securing and protecting U.S. critical infrastructure."

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comment from DHS.