Trump administration plans to cut cybersecurity agency’s budget by $700 million

The Trump administration is planning to cut the budget of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) by at least $707 million for 2027.

The proposed budget cut [pdf] was released late last week as part of an omnibus budget proposal that includes the privatization of airport security.

The Trump administration claims the reduction to the U.S. top cybersecurity agency will refocus its “core mission” of securing the federal civilian network and protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, and not “weaponization and waste,” as the administration claimed. 

The proposal also alleged that CISA was “focused on censorship,” likely referring to the agency’s efforts to counter misinformation during the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost.

The budget cuts would also remove duplicative programs, such as school safety programs, that already exist at the state and federal level, the document reads.

Since taking office for a second term in 2025, President Trump and his administration have repeated false and repeatedly debunked claims that CISA engaged in censorship, and attacked the president’s perceived critics, including CISA’s inaugural director Chris Krebs, whom Trump appointed.

The Trump administration last year made similar false claims about CISA’s election security program when it proposed to cut the agency’s budget by close to $500 million, or around 17% of its federal budget. Lawmakers pushed back on last year’s cuts, reducing the proposed budget cut to about $135 million after negotiations.

The budget proposal, if passed, would bring CISA’s operating budget down to about $2 billion. Lawmakers and security experts alike have warned that CISA is already in dire shape, after a year of cuts, staff reductions, and layoffs, losing hundreds of employees.

CISA has not had a Senate-confirmed permanent director since Trump took office again in 2025.

The U.S. government has experienced several major hacks in the past year, including the suspected Russian breach of the U.S. Courts filing system, Chinese attacks targeting federal government departments, and Iranian hackers who leaked the personal email of FBI director Kash Patel.