In its fourth attempt to get answers, Democratic lawmakers are once again pressing officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for explanations on how the agency is supporting state and local election offices ahead of the 2026 midterm election cycle.
Democratic leaders say they sent letters to CISA in February, March, and April – and all of those have gone unanswered.
Their latest effort came in a July 7 letter from Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., who demanded “urgent updates” on key election security policies and programs.
“We remain deeply troubled by the lack of information CISA has provided to congressional oversight committees and the lack of substantive responses to our questions,” the letter reads. “The agency’s continued failure to provide any modicum of transparency to Congress and the public is unacceptable.”
The letter includes more than 20 questions seeking clarity on whether CISA is still offering key services like vulnerability scanning and whether the agency is actively promoting its support resources to state and local election offices.
The lawmakers also wrote that their urgency for transparency from CISA has deepened amid widespread reports of significant internal changes at the agency. The letter outlines fears about looming budget and staff cuts – changes the lawmakers say could cripple the agency’s ability to help safeguard election infrastructure.
“If accurate, this is a very serious issue,” the lawmakers wrote. “CISA’s repeated failure to respond to our requests for information while undertaking a significant reshaping of the agency’s personnel and mission is unacceptable.”
The letter was addressed to CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala and Mona Harrington, assistant director of the agency’s National Risk Management Center.
With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Democrats say the clock is ticking – and that CISA’s silence is no longer an option. They’re demanding a full briefing on the agency’s operations and staffing by July 21, warning that continued stonewalling puts election security at risk.
In a statement to Meritalk, CISA Director of Public Affairs Marci McCarthy explained that CISA is getting “back on mission as America’s cyber defense agency.”
“We’re focused on operationalizing our core authorities: strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection and harnessing the true power of public/private collaboration to secure the homeland. CISA responds to official correspondence through official channels,” said McCarthy.