Cyber congressman demands answers before CISA gets cut down to size

As drastic cuts to the US govt's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency loom, Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the ranking member of the House's cybersecurity subcommittee, has demanded that CISA brief the subcommittee "prior to any significant changes to CISA's workforce or organizational structure."

"It is critical that we understand how the Administration's changes to the agency will affect the mission we have established," Swalwell wrote in an April 10 letter, just days before the April 14 deadline by which CISA and other Homeland Security employees must decide if they will take Secretary Kristi Noem's offer and choose deferred resignation, early retirement, or an immediate buyout.

And if they don't take the offer, it's expected that the ax will fall on as many as 1,300 CISA employees — that's nearly 40 percent — as part of the broader effort to downsize federal government staff.

These rumored and pending changes to CISA's workforce and programs are more alarming in the context of cuts CISA has already made or attempted to make

"These rumored and pending changes to CISA's workforce and programs are more alarming in the context of cuts CISA has already made or attempted to make," Swalwell's letter continued, noting the Trump administration had already fired, rehired and then placed on paid leave about 130 CISA employees and cut $10 million in funding — nearly half the total budget — for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. 

Retired US Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery told The Register in an earlier interview the firings and funding cuts "harm national security on a daily basis."

"Secretary Noem has conducted a series of actions that are gutting CISA — the nation's civilian cyber defense agency — and weakening public-private collaboration efforts," Montgomery said.

Swalwell, who sits on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, has also called for explanations from Noem and other officials about the rationale behind these cuts, emphasizing the potential risks to critical cybersecurity functions.

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"It is difficult to convey in writing the full extent of my concern regarding the rumored plans to decimate CISA, but it suffices to say that upending an agency that plays such an important role in defending the homeland while keeping Congress in the dark is wholly unacceptable," the congressman wrote. 

"At no point has CISA provided the Subcommittee any justification for the drastic reorganization that is apparently well underway, nor has it explained how CISA will execute its congressionally mandated mission with a fraction of the workforce and resources," Swalwell added. "CISA must brief members of the Subcommittee on proposed changes to CISA's workforce and programs as soon as possible."

Neither CISA nor Homeland Security immediately responded to The Register's questions, including whether the agency would brief the subcommittee prior to any cuts. ®