Walkinshaw Leads House Colleagues in Demanding Answers from Trump’s DHS Secretary on Illegal Cyber Firings That Weaken U.S. Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman James Walkinshaw (VA-11), joined by Reps. Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), and Eugene Simon Vindman (VA-7), demanded answers from Trump’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding the reassignment and illegal removal of cybersecurity experts within the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) during the ongoing government shutdown.
In a letter sent to Secretary Noem, the lawmakers warn that diverting trained cyber defenders to serve political purposes undermines the nation’s ability to protect critical infrastructure from escalating foreign threats. The letter cites potential Antideficiency Act violations and raises concerns that these politically motivated firings have left the United States more vulnerable to cyberattacks from hostile actors, including the People’s Republic of China.
“Firing or reassigning CISA’s cybersecurity experts in the middle of a shutdown isn’t just wrong, it’s illegal and dangerous,” said Congressman Walkinshaw. “These personnel protect our power grids, hospital networks, and water systems from cyber attacks perpetrated by malicious actors and foreign adversaries. Diverting or firing them to serve a political agenda puts American lives and the services we rely on every day at risk. Not to mention, attempts to subject any agency’s workforce to large-scale RIFs during a shutdown constitute a clear violation of the Antideficiency Act. Congress has a duty to hold the Administration accountable for these actions and to ensure CISA personnel can continue to safeguard our nation’s critical infrastructure. I’m demanding answers from DHS Secretary Noem on what strategies, if any, are being implemented to keep Americans safe from foreign adversaries amid mounting cyber threats when the very workforce responsible for this mission has been reduced.”
The letter follows reports that DHS has reassigned or terminated CISA employees as part of a directive from OMB Director Russ Vought to eliminate federal employees whose work clashes with President Trump’s policy priorities. Among those affected are staff who coordinate with public and private partners to prevent and mitigate cyberattacks — a move the lawmakers warn could leave the nation’s hospitals, utilities, and transportation systems exposed.
The lawmakers are calling for DHS to immediately reinstate and reclassify CISA personnel removed from their cyber defense roles and to provide a detailed accounting of how the Administration plans to maintain cybersecurity readiness amid these reductions.
A copy of the full letter can be found here.
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