Trump proposes cutting CISA election security program in FY27 budget

"The proposal targets election security, workforce development, stakeholder engagement and a range of infrastructure protection efforts, marking one of the most significant overhauls of the nation's civilian cyber defense agency since its creation."

"The budget would notably eliminate CISA's election security program entirely, including cutting funding for information-sharing support to state and local officials and removing dedicated election security advisors across the country."

"The moves would scale back one of the federal government's main avenues for coordinating with state and local election officials on election cybersecurity risks like ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns and efforts by foreign adversaries to probe election systems and conduct influence operations."

"Any move to eliminate these stakeholder engagement functions could have far-reaching effects, as those offices serve as a main conduit between CISA and state, local, private-sector and international partners that play a role in protecting critical infrastructure in the U.S. and around the world."

The Trump administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 aims to eliminate approximately $700 million in programs from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, resulting in a net reduction of about $360 million. Key areas affected include the complete removal of CISA's election security program, which will cut funding for information-sharing and dedicated advisors. Additionally, support for the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center will be terminated, hindering coordination on cybersecurity risks. Stakeholder engagement operations will also be significantly reduced, affecting collaboration with state and local partners.

Read at Nextgov.com