"As the Senate closed its doors for the Christmas holiday, lawmakers left town without confirming Sean Plankey to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, extending a leadership vacuum at the nation's top cyberdefense office into the new year. The nomination, which will have to be renewed if the White House still wants him in the role, stalled amid a series of procedural hurdles and objections from both Republicans and Democrats."
"CISA has grappled with significant workforce challenges that emerged during Trump's second term. Around a third of the agency's staff has been shed in 2025 through a combination of terminations and early retirement offers, moves officials said were part of a broader White House effort to curb what it characterizes as wasteful government spending. Former officials and cybersecurity experts have warned that the cuts risk undermining CISA's ability to coordinate with government partners and defend federal systems against major cyber threats, particularly from China."
Sean Plankey's nomination to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stalled in the Senate and will require renomination. The stalled confirmation leaves CISA without a Senate-confirmed director nearly a year into the administration's second term. The nomination faced procedural holds and objections from both parties and collapsed under end-of-year time pressure and unresolved opposition. Around one-third of CISA's staff was shed in 2025 through terminations and early retirement offers as part of a White House push to curb perceived wasteful spending. Experts warn those reductions and planned reassignments to border-focused agencies risk undermining CISA's ability to coordinate with partners and defend federal systems against major cyber threats, particularly from China. The White House has been asked about plans to renominate Plankey.
Read at Nextgov.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]