Top cyber lawmaker wants answers on CISA workforce reductions

"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briefing, DHS has not disclosed a final figure on how many cyber staff have actually left, forcing Congress to rely on outdated public figures."

Congressional leaders requested a detailed update on CISA's workforce, seeking division-level staffing counts and numbers of employees terminated or reassigned to other DHS components. Major workforce cuts at CISA began in February and have continued, with recent layoffs during the government shutdown affecting Infrastructure Security and Stakeholder Engagement divisions. The administration characterized the cuts as a "refocus" of CISA's mission, citing concerns that the agency coordinated with social-media companies to flag false information on topics like COVID-19 and the 2020 election. Lawmakers demanded cessation of cuts, reinstatement of transferred or dismissed employees, and disclosure of final staffing figures and impacts.

Read at Nextgov.com