The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is undergoing a major realignment in its mission and operations as part of the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 federal budget plan. The agency’s budget has been reduced by $491 million, approximately 17% of its total funding. This financial change is accompanied by a reduction in staff through early retirements and voluntary departures, decreasing CISA’s workforce by roughly one-third.

The realignment includes eliminating or scaling back programs that had expanded the agency’s role in election security and information environment monitoring. With the nomination of a new director and a narrower operational focus, the agency is shifting its efforts more squarely toward traditional infrastructure protection and federal cybersecurity coordination.

Why It Matters: CISA has served as the federal government’s primary coordinator for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. Realigning its scope and operations could affect how the U.S. manages national cyber defense, collaborates with state and private sector entities, and responds to evolving digital threats. The transition also reflects a broader reevaluation of the agency’s mandate and functions within the Department of Homeland Security.

• $491 Million Budget Reduction Reflects Strategic Realignment: Under the fiscal year 2026 federal budget proposal, CISA’s budget is set to decrease from $2.9 billion to $2.4 billion. The Department of Homeland Security indicated that this reduction is part of a realignment aimed at consolidating agency functions and redirecting resources to what the administration identifies as core responsibilities, namely, protection of critical infrastructure and response to cyber threats targeting federal networks. Budget documents reference a need to streamline operations and eliminate overlapping or nonessential initiatives.

• Workforce Reduced by One-Third: Approximately 1,000 employees have departed CISA following early retirement offers and voluntary buyouts. These reductions bring the agency’s staffing to its new target of 2,649 personnel. The voluntary departures are a component of the realignment strategy, designed to resize the agency according to the revised operational scope. Staffing losses span multiple divisions, and DHS has indicated it will reorganize remaining personnel to match the new mission priorities.

• Election Security and Disinformation Programs Phased Out: Programs related to election infrastructure protection and foreign disinformation tracking have been phased out or absorbed into other departments. The administration cited concerns about jurisdiction and focus as the reason for closing these initiatives. As part of the realignment, resources previously allocated to these programs will be redirected toward infrastructure resilience and cyber threat mitigation efforts in sectors such as energy, transportation, and public health systems.

• Leadership Nomination Signals Further Operational Refocus: Sean Plankey has been nominated to lead CISA following its realignment. With prior roles at the Department of Energy and the National Security Council, Plankey’s background centers on national security–focused cyber operations. His nomination aligns with the administration’s efforts to reposition the agency to focus more tightly on physical and digital infrastructure protection, rather than broader informational or electoral engagements.

• Agency Strategy Revised to Align with Core Cyber Objectives: According to DHS and CISA planning documents, the agency will operate under a revised strategic framework emphasizing federal cyber defense, incident response coordination, and critical infrastructure security. Public-facing roles, interagency outreach related to information integrity, and social media collaboration efforts have been removed or de-emphasized as part of this realignment. Updated organizational structures are in development to reflect this operational pivot.

Go Deeper -> One-third of top U.S. cyber force has left since Trump took office – Axios

Top U.S. Cyber Agency Faces Staff and Funding Cuts in New Budget – Wall Street Journal

US cyber agency CISA faces stiff budget cuts – ComputerWeekly