Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
(CISA)
Department of Homeland SecurityFederal network defense; critical infrastructure operators; election security; 16 critical infrastructure sectors
Summary
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of Homeland Security's main civilian cyberdefense agency, would lose $707 million in funding under the FY2027 budget proposal, a 30% reduction. The cut would eliminate CISA's election security program entirely, end its chemical facility security inspections, and shrink CISA's role in coordinating with the private companies and state/local governments that run the nation's 16 critical infrastructure sectors, while the administration says it is refocusing the agency on protecting federal networks and core infrastructure.
Who Is Affected
State and local election officials nationwide would lose their dedicated CISA election security advisors and the federal funding that supports the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), the main hub for sharing cyber threat alerts with county clerks and election administrators. The cut would also eliminate roughly 867 CISA positions, including more than 200 staff who inspect and oversee high-risk chemical facilities, and would gut the Stakeholder Engagement Division that liaises with critical infrastructure operators, universities, and foreign governments. This comes on top of a workforce already reduced by about one-third (roughly 1,000 employees) over the prior 14 months.
What this cut would actually mean
Without dedicated federal election security advisors or EI-ISAC threat-sharing, county and state election offices—many with limited in-house IT security staff—would have less warning about ransomware, phishing, and foreign probing of voter registration systems ahead of future elections. Ending chemical facility inspections removes a layer of oversight meant to prevent industrial accidents or attacks at high-risk plants, while a smaller, less-networked CISA would be slower to alert power utilities, water systems, and other infrastructure operators to active cyber threats, increasing the risk that attacks succeed before they're detected.
Sources
- Trump proposes cutting CISA election security program in FY27 budget - Nextgov/FCW — Details the elimination of CISA's election security program, EI-ISAC funding, and roughly 867 eliminated positions including chemical security staff.
- Trump's FY2027 budget again targets CISA - Cybersecurity Dive — Reports the $707 million cut is about 30% of CISA's FY2025 budget and describes cuts to the Stakeholder Engagement Division.
- Trump's FY27 budget would cut $700M from CISA and kill election security - TNW — Describes prior workforce reductions of about one-third of CISA staff and the elimination of election security advisors nationwide.
- White House Seeks to Slash CISA Funding by $707 Million - SecurityWeek — Confirms the $707 million cut brings CISA's budget to roughly $2 billion and gives context on prior year's budget fight.
- White House Budget Proposal Would Spike Spending for Defense, Cut Major CISA and FEMA Programs - ASIS International — Notes discrepancy in the total cut figure and quotes a cybersecurity executive warning about risks from further CISA cuts.
Administration's Stated Rationale
“Reduces CISA workforce and election security programs; refocuses on critical infrastructure protection.”