By Megan Saul
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has placed 17 staffers of the recent elections on administrative leave. President Donald Trump founded the CISA in 2018, intending to help control the nation’s infrastructure and secure elections. In 2020, the CISA aimed to disprove misinformation that sprung from the 2020 presidential election. During the most recent election, the CISA worked to alert the public about misinformation spread internationally. With many workers currently on leave and pending a review, officials are concerned with the lack of support the CISA currently has for the election offices across the country and the effect of this change on the future of the country’s cybersecurity.
On Feb. 5, before the CISA placed staffers on leave, the Trump administration allowed staffers to participate in the Deferred Resignation program. The goal of this program is to shrink the federal government. A CISA spokesperson shared, “At this time, CISA employees may be considered for the Deferred Resignation program. CISA remains committed to ensuring the continuity of our mission while supporting our workforce through this process.” Since Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arranged the Deferred Resignation program, cybersecurity experts are worried whether DOGE workers will take over the important roles of CISA employees.
Following the conclusion of this offer, the CISA placed staffers on leave. Out of the 17 employees, the CISA recently hired ten of them before the 2024 election to increase election security expertise. These staffers work for the field operations division. The other staffers are currently or have recently worked for the Election Security and Resilience team. People aware of the situation infer that the purpose of the leave is to tackle disinformation campaigns within the nation’s current politics.
Many state officials have defended and protected the agency’s work, despite the changes to the program the government plans to make. For example, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams shared, “The most value that we’ve got from CISA has been the people that they have on the ground in our state that build direct relationships, not just with us but with the individual county clerks…They’re teaching them and helping them check their physical security and their cyber hygiene, and that’s been extremely popular.” On the contrary, other officials have become doubtful and critical of the CISA’s work and whether it is achieving its purpose. Kristi Noem, the newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, explained that the CISA has gone “far off mission.” While both the Deferred Resignation program and the act of the CISA placing staffers on leave are separate issues, they both contribute to the CISA’s changing program and size.
(Sources: ABC, NPR)