America’s cybersecurity weakens at a critical juncture

The United States is facing a perilous turning point in its approach to cybersecurity. While foreign rivals intensify their digital operations, America’s own cyber defenses are shrinking, hampered by layoffs, budget reductions, discontinued initiatives and an ongoing government shutdown. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, U.S. cybersecurity resources are “dangerously thin,” a claim supported by the facts: Just as threats are becoming more frequent and serious, the protective framework designed to secure vital systems is being systematically dismantled.

From this February to May, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), tasked with protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, saw its staff drop from over 3,700 to just 2,540, WSJ reported. Since the government shutdown began, this number has dwindled further, with fewer than 900 active employees. Additionally, over 100 support staff were let go after CISA’s contract with an external partner for a public-private cybersecurity initiative expired, according to WSJ. 

Financial pressures are making things worse. The White House has proposed $495 million in cuts to CISA, and the House Appropriations Committee approved a $2.7 billion budget for the agency in 2026 – $134.8 million less than the previous year. These funding shortfalls have forced CISA to eliminate key programs and collaborations essential to national cyber defense.

Have we hit a point of states vs. feds in the cyber wars?

Recently, the agency stopped funding the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a nonprofit offering critical support to state and local governments. This ended the administration’s partnership with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) – housed within CISA – which has long provided threat alerts and cybersecurity support to thousands of state, local, tribal and territorial governments.

These latest moves come after earlier cutbacks: In March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, which connected federal agencies and private-sector infrastructure operators. Congress also let the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 lapse, removing legal protections for companies sharing sensitive threat data with federal authorities.

Individually, these decisions may seem minor, but together they represent a strategic retreat that is weakening the nation’s ability to detect, coordinate and respond to cyber threats across the board. Without these programs in place, the infrastructure for communication and collaboration dissipates, rendering defenses inadequate. 

These rollbacks are occurring just as the U.S. faces increasingly advanced and persistent cyber threats. China and Russia are both expanding their digital offensive capabilities, investing heavily in technology and personnel to infiltrate Western networks. Their objectives go beyond intelligence gathering – they are probing weaknesses in essential systems, from power and water to transportation and finance.

Critical infrastructure risks

Nick Martin of the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force summed up the stakes: “What’s at risk are the basic needs of our country, things like the power grid, financial markets, and clean water.” The rollback, he said, amounts to a teardown of national cyber defenses.

The borders of cybersecurity are constantly shifting. If adversaries are ramping up their digital offensive capabilities while the U.S. endowments for defense dwindle, it widens the gap between mounting threats and the nation’s ability to defend itself. This is a situation that sophisticated attackers are well-poised to exploit.

Perhaps most troubling is the decline of public-private partnerships in cybersecurity. Organizations like CIS, MS-ISAC and the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council have long served as essential links between federal agencies and private infrastructure operators.

These partnerships have enabled timely information sharing and joint-response plans, and given much-needed tools to underfunded local governments. For many municipalities, MS-ISAC was their only structured cybersecurity support. Severing these partnerships leaves thousands of organizations more vulnerable at a time when coordinated defense is crucial.

The loss of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act’s protections makes things even more precarious. Without legal safeguards, private firms may be reluctant to share vital threat information with the government, fearing lawsuits or regulatory issues. This reluctance could slow the response to new cyber threats and leave defenders in the dark.

Diminishing CISA’s resources and dismantling existing federal and state partnerships will have consequences that reach beyond Washington. This will further weaken U.S. deterrence capabilities, signal to adversaries that the nation is deprioritizing cybersecurity efforts and damage the ability to detect and respond to attacks on crucial systems. It also undermines trust relationships between federal, state, local and private-sector partners.

To stay ahead in this rapidly changing environment, the U.S. must change direction. This entails restoring CISA’s funding, rebuilding its workforce and reestablishing the partnerships that are fundamental to national cyber defense. It also means maintaining legal frameworks such as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, enabling private companies to cooperate without fear of legal consequences.

Cybersecurity is not optional; it is the essential lifeblood infrastructure protecting all other critical infrastructure. Cutting these programs for short-term savings will prove far costlier when inevitable major incidents occur. The warning signs are clear. Will the U.S. work to support these key aspects of our national cybersecurity infrastructure, or will an otherwise average event turn into a national crisis as a result of this negligence?