A group of Democratic lawmakers has formally asked the Government Accountability Office to examine how deep workforce reductions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have affected the agency's ability to defend critical infrastructure, according to reporting by The Record.
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led the effort alongside several Democratic colleagues in signing a letter requesting the GAO review. The request comes after nearly one-third of CISA's workforce was eliminated following the start of the Trump administration — a figure that translates to roughly 1,000 employees who have either been fired or resigned.
"We respectfully request that the [GAO] examine the impact of recent staffing reductions and programmatic cuts at CISA on the agency's ability to carry out its mission requirements, protect critical infrastructure, and respond to evolving cyber and physical threats," the lawmakers wrote.
The letter signals deepening concern on Capitol Hill over the timing of the reductions. "At precisely the moment when our adversaries are accelerating attacks against critical infrastructure, [CISA]... has lost nearly one-third of its workforce, raising serious concerns about the agency's ability to fulfill its mission," the lawmakers added.
GAO spokesperson Sarah Kaczmarek confirmed the office received the request. "GAO has a process it goes through to determine whether we do work and when, which we are working through right now," she said.
CISA acting director Nick Andersen said earlier this year that the agency planned to hire 300 employees to address gaps left by the departures. Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, also stated that the department has a plan to rebuild CISA over the next year.
However, the lawmakers' letter highlights a contradiction at the center of the administration's stated intentions: the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget would eliminate nearly 900 additional positions and cut more than $700 million from CISA's budget — figures that appear to work against the rebuilding effort.
Several senior CISA officials have departed over the past year, including David Stern, described in the letter as the driving force behind a key ransomware notification initiative. The agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Jen Easterly left at the end of the Biden administration. Andersen recently assumed the acting role following the removal of Madhu Gottumukkala in February.
The letter also draws attention to reduced support at the state and local level. Industry leaders and local officials have reported "reduced responsiveness and support" from CISA, and said that "staffing turbulence at CISA has disrupted its service delivery and operations," according to testimony cited in the letter.
The request arrives amid an escalating threat environment. Federal agencies said this week that there is an "active threat" targeting critical infrastructure organizations using AI-generated exploit scripts — described as an "evolution" in adversary capabilities. Dozens of states and senior congressional leaders have previously warned that the CISA cuts would leave municipal cybersecurity operations across the country more exposed, particularly ahead of the November election season.
CISA did not respond to requests for comment. The GAO's determination on whether and when to conduct the review is pending.
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