DHS chief says president has met with likely CISA nominee; agency plans to hire 600

CISA has been constrained by not having a Senate-confirmed director since January 2025, but is ready to rebound once the expected nominee is in place, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at a hearing Thursday.

“We don’t have the personnel and so we’ve got to get my director in place, that we have, that the president’s met with. We got to put, we got to get him in place,” Mullin told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee subcommittee overseeing the agency. “Put him in place, let him hire his people, and get it built.”

Mullin said he believes CISA needs about 600 new hires, a process that can’t start with gusto until a new director is confirmed. Mullin did not name the planned pick at the hearing. Shyam Sankar, the chief technology officer of Palantir Technologies, is thought to be the likely nominee, though the White House previously said he is not a top contender “at this time.” 

Read more at The Record