Trump Administration Proposes $700 Million Reduction in CISA’s Budget
The Trump administration has unveiled a proposal to reduce the budget of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) by approximately $707 million for the fiscal year 2027. This significant cut is part of a broader omnibus budget plan that also includes initiatives such as the privatization of airport security.
According to the administration, the budget reduction aims to refocus CISA on its core mission of securing federal civilian networks and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, while eliminating what it describes as weaponization and waste. The proposal further alleges that CISA has been focused on censorship, a likely reference to the agency’s efforts to counter misinformation during the 2020 presidential election, which President Trump lost.
The proposed cuts would also eliminate programs deemed duplicative, such as certain school safety initiatives that are already addressed at both state and federal levels.
Since President Trump’s second term began in 2025, his administration has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that CISA engaged in censorship activities. These assertions have been used to justify previous budget reduction attempts and to criticize perceived adversaries, including Chris Krebs, CISA’s inaugural director appointed by Trump himself.
In the previous year, the administration proposed a nearly $500 million cut to CISA’s budget, representing about 17% of its federal funding. However, after negotiations, lawmakers reduced the proposed cut to approximately $135 million.
If the current budget proposal is approved, CISA’s operating budget would decrease to around $2 billion. This comes at a time when the agency is already facing challenges due to prior budget cuts, staff reductions, and layoffs, resulting in the loss of hundreds of employees.
Notably, CISA has been without a Senate-confirmed permanent director since President Trump’s return to office in 2025.
The U.S. government has experienced several significant cyber incidents over the past year, including a suspected Russian breach of the U.S. Courts filing system, Chinese cyberattacks targeting federal departments, and Iranian hackers leaking the personal email of FBI Director Kash Patel.
