Democrats press CISA’s acting chief over major staffing cuts

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee pressed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s acting director on workforce reductions and internal developments Wednesday as lawmakers examined the agency’s direction under the second Trump administration.

Madhu Gottumukkala, CISA’s acting director, testified before the panel alongside top officials from other agencies. He rehashed CISA’s efforts over the past year to better align its work with its statutory authorities and sought to defend major cost-cutting measures that have seen around a third of the cyber agency’s employees leave in the past 12 months.

CISA is “executing a mission-first approach” by “prioritizing what works, eliminating duplication and ensuring that every product and service directly advances CISA’s regulatory mission” in a way that aligns with the goals of the Trump administration, Gottumukkala said in his opening remarks. He also hinted at plans to pursue hiring this year, saying the agency would “continue targeted hiring” for key roles.

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