Trump Proposes Gutting Nation's Top Cybersecurity Agency by $700 Million After Year of Major Hacks

The Trump administration is proposing to cut $707 million from the budget of the nation's top cybersecurity agency, even as foreign adversaries continue to breach federal systems with alarming frequency.

The proposed cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) would slash the agency's operating budget to roughly $2 billion for 2027, a reduction of more than one-third. The plan was buried in an omnibus budget proposal released late last week that also includes privatizing airport security.

The administration claims the cuts will refocus CISA on its "core mission" of protecting federal networks and critical infrastructure, while eliminating what it calls "weaponization and waste." The budget document specifically accuses CISA of being "focused on censorship," an apparent reference to the agency's efforts to counter election misinformation during the 2020 presidential race that Trump lost.

Attacking the Messenger While Ignoring the Threat

This is not the first time Trump has gone after CISA for doing its job. Since taking office for his second term in 2025, the president has repeatedly attacked the agency and its inaugural director Chris Krebs, whom Trump himself appointed. Krebs was fired in 2020 after publicly stating the election was secure, contradicting Trump's false claims of widespread fraud.

Last year, the administration proposed cutting CISA's budget by nearly $500 million, or about 17 percent. Lawmakers pushed back, ultimately limiting the damage to roughly $135 million in cuts. But those reductions still devastated the agency, which has lost hundreds of employees through layoffs and attrition.

CISA has operated without a Senate-confirmed permanent director since Trump returned to office. The leadership vacuum comes at a particularly dangerous moment for federal cybersecurity.

Cutting Security During a Hacking Spree

Over the past year, the U.S. government has suffered a series of major cyberattacks from foreign adversaries:

• Russian hackers breached the U.S. Courts filing system
• Chinese attackers targeted multiple federal government departments
• Iranian hackers leaked the personal email of FBI Director Kash Patel

The irony of that last breach is hard to miss. Patel, Trump's handpicked FBI director, has been a vocal critic of the so-called "deep state" and has pushed for loyalty purges across federal law enforcement. Now his own compromised emails highlight the very real threats that CISA exists to counter.

The budget proposal claims the cuts will eliminate "duplicative programs" like school safety initiatives that exist at state and federal levels. But cybersecurity experts and lawmakers from both parties have warned that CISA is already operating in "dire shape" after a year of budget cuts and staff losses.

A Pattern of Undermining Security for Political Revenge

The proposed gutting of CISA fits a broader pattern in this administration: attacking and defunding agencies that refuse to bend to political pressure or validate Trump's false narratives.

CISA's sin was not censorship. It was telling the truth about election security when Trump wanted lies. The agency worked to counter foreign disinformation campaigns and domestic conspiracy theories that threatened to undermine confidence in democratic processes. For that, it has been targeted for destruction.

Now, as Russia, China, and Iran probe federal networks for weaknesses, the administration wants to cut the budget of the one agency specifically tasked with defending against those attacks. The justification is transparently political: punish CISA for contradicting Trump's election fraud mythology, then dress up the retaliation as fiscal responsibility and mission focus.

The budget proposal still requires congressional approval. Lawmakers rejected similar cuts last year, but with Trump's party controlling both chambers, the outcome is far from certain. What is certain is that America's adversaries are watching closely, and they like what they see.

When the next major breach happens, when critical infrastructure goes dark or sensitive government data spills into the hands of foreign intelligence services, remember this moment. Remember that Trump chose political vengeance over national security, and that he did it while claiming to make America safe.