Accusing the nation’s key civilian cybersecurity agency of being part of a “Censorship Industrial Complex,” the Trump administration is proposing a substantial $491 million reduction to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s budget for fiscal year 2026.
This cut, representing nearly 17% of CISA’s roughly $3 billion funding, is detailed in official documents released Friday, including a budget summary and a letter from Office of Management and Budget Director Russell T. Vought. The administration frames the move as necessary to eliminate “weaponization and waste” and refocus CISA solely on defending federal networks and critical infrastructure, explicitly stating in the OMB letter:
“The Budget refocuses CISA on its core mission—Federal network defense and enhancing the security and resilience of critical infrastructure—while eliminating weaponization and waste. […] The Budget eliminates programs focused on so-called misinformation and propaganda as well as external engagement offices such as international affairs. These programs and offices were used as a hub in the Censorship Industrial Complex to violate the First Amendment, target Americans for protected speech, and target the President. CISA was more focused on censorship than on protecting the Nation’s critical systems, and put them at risk due to poor management and inefficiency, as well as a focus on self-promotion.”
The budget justification specifically targets CISA activities related to misinformation, along with offices deemed duplicative and external engagement functions like international affairs, according to an outline accompanying the proposal.
A senior OMB official elaborated on the goal to “make sure that CISA is actually in the business of cybersecurity, as opposed to disinformation funding and funding grants at the Department of Homeland Security and universities to combat and call extremist half the country who just care about normal conservative things.”
This rhetoric aligns with language frequently used by House Republicans investigating alleged government pressure on tech platforms. This move also follows other administration actions targeting perceived “weaponization,” such as eliminating contracts related to domestic terrorism earlier in the year.
CISA’s Checkered History With Disinformation Work
The administration’s focus on CISA’s anti-disinformation role revisits past friction. CISA’s official “Rumor Control” website during the 2020 election cycle, aimed at debunking false election claims, drew President Trump’s ire, contributing to his decision to fire then-Director Chris Krebs.
While CISA later stated it had halted direct communications with social media companies about misinformation under the Biden administration, some CISA staff involved in this area were reportedly placed on administrative leave during Trump’s second term. This proposed defunding comes despite a Supreme Court ruling last year rejecting efforts to limit such government communication with platforms.
Furthermore, former CISA executive director Brandon Wales testified in January 2025 that the spending on this work was minimal: “Last time we looked at this it was something less than $2 million.”
The CISA proposal is embedded within a broader administration fiscal plan seeking deep cuts ($163 billion or 22.6%) to non-defense discretionary spending while boosting Defense funding by 13% (to $1.01 trillion) and allocating $175 billion for Homeland Security, primarily for border initiatives.
Vought’s letter justifies the broader cuts by claiming FY25 spending was “laden with spending contrary to the needs of ordinary working Americans and tilted toward funding niche non-governmental organizations… committed to radical gender and climate ideologies…”
The plan anticipates using budget reconciliation for over $325 billion in Defense/Homeland increases, a maneuver to secure funding potentially without Democratic support. This strategy reflects Vought’s known fiscal conservatism and echoes previous Trump administration efforts, such as the FY21 budget proposal which also sought cuts to CISA’s state/local grants and infrastructure protection.
Internal Pressures and External Controversies
The budget arrives following a period of significant turbulence for CISA. Reports from early 2025 indicated around 130 staffers being fired, including election security personnel. This was followed by news in April of potential cuts impacting up to 1,300 positions and the resignations of Bob Lord and Lauren Zabierek, senior advisors leading the agency’s “Secure by Design” initiative. That program, launched in April 2023, urges software makers to build security in from the start.
These events led retired R. Adm. Mark Montgomery to describe the actions as the “gutting” of CISA, warning it “harms national security on a daily basis.” Lawmakers from both parties had also previously expressed concern about reducing CISA’s budget and cutting personnel.
DOGE Ascends Amidst CISA Cuts
While CISA navigates these internal and budgetary pressures, another element adding complexity to the federal cybersecurity picture has been the rise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE has been absorbing federal cybersecurity duties with reduced oversight, making controversial hires (including individuals allegedly tied to ‘The Com’ online network or with histories of leaking data), and facing scrutiny over its own operational security.
Security expert Bruce Schneier warned in February that DOGE’s reported actions risked becoming “a National cyberattack” through “the systematic dismantling of security measures… by removing the career officials in charge… and replacing them with inexperienced operators,” Former NSA hacker Jacob Williams similarly warned DOGE posed “a bigger threat… than China” regarding system integrity due to reports of unvetted code changes.
These concerns were amplified by whistleblower allegations reported in April claiming DOGE personnel improperly accessed and exfiltrated sensitive data from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in March 2025. The whistleblower, DevSecOps Architect Daniel Berulis, described being told not to log DOGE activities as “a huge red flag… It violates every core concept of security and best practice.”
While some agencies, like the IRS, reportedly moved to limit DOGE access, and Congressional committees raised alarms earlier in the year, the narrative surrounding this entity highlights anxieties about unconventional approaches to government IT coinciding with the proposed reshaping of CISA.
