The Trump administration plans to cut the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) budget by at least $707 million by 2027.
THE proposed budget cut [pdf] released late last week as part of an overall budget proposal that includes the privatization of airport security.
The Trump administration claims cuts to the top U.S. cybersecurity agency will refocus its “core mission” of protecting the federal civilian network and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, rather than “weaponizing and wasting,” as the administration has claimed.
The proposal also claimed that CISA “focused on censorship,” possibly referring to the agency’s efforts to combat disinformation during the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.
The budget cuts would also eliminate duplicative programs, such as school safety programs, that already exist at the state and federal levels, the document says.
Since taking office for a second term in 2025, President Trump and his administration have repeated false and repeatedly debunked allegations that CISA engaged in censorship and attacked the president’s perceived critics, including CISA’s inaugural director, Chris Krebs, who was appointed by Trump.
The Trump administration did last year similar false claims about CISA’s election security program when he proposed cutting the agency’s budget by nearly $500 million, or about 17 percent of its federal budget. Lawmakers pushed back on last year’s cuts, reducing the proposed budget cut to about $135 million after negotiations.
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The budget proposal, if passed, would reduce CISA’s operating budget about 2 billion dollars. Lawmakers and security experts have warned that CISA is already in dire straits, after a year of cuts, layoffs and layoffs, losing hundreds of employees.
CISA has not had a permanent director confirmed by the Senate since Trump took office again in 2025.
The U.S. government has experienced several major hacks in the past year, including the suspected Russian breach of the U.S. Court filing system, Chinese attacks targeting federal government departments, and Iranian hackers who leaked the personal email of FBI Director Kash Patel.
