Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., wants to know whether the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has reassigned or terminated some of its workforce amid the ongoing government shutdown.
In a letter sent Tuesday to acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala, Rep. Swalwell said that reports that CISA has compelled some of its employees to other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) units – such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement – would jeopardize CISA’s ability to prevent and respond to cyber threats if true.
“I demand you immediately cease all efforts to cut CISA’s workforce, reinstate employees who were transferred or dismissed, and provide details on the impacts of the agency’s workforce reductions,” wrote the representative.
In his letter, Rep. Swalwell noted that the House Committee on Homeland Security – on which he serves as the top Democrat – does not have current numbers on how many staff are currently working at CISA, with the most recent numbers from May stating that the agency had 2,540 workers, down from 3,300 in January.
That decreased number, plus more members of CISA’s Cybersecurity and Stakeholder Engagement Divisions being reassigned, “suggest [that the agency] plans to leave state and local governments on their own for cyber defense,” wrote the lawmaker.
“I should not need to remind you that cybersecurity threats pose a significant and growing risk to our national security,” wrote the representative, later adding, “In order to combat these threats, CISA needs to have sufficient personnel to carry out its mission, particularly at a time when canceled contracts and cooperative agreements have left CISA without critical third-party support.”
This is not the first time that Rep. Swalwell has probed CISA on its workforce. In April, he wrote to the then-acting CISA Director Bridget Bean stating that the agency must loop in Congress on decisions that could affect the agency’s operations after reports said that the Trump administration planned to slash CISA’s workforce by 40%.
That letter, Rep. Swalwell noted, has since gone unanswered by CISA leaders.
After the government shutdown on the first of the month, the Trump administration threatened to lay off employees – setting a new precedent as federal employees are typically furloughed with backpay, according to a law signed by President Donald Trump during his first administration.
Since then, the Trump administration has laid off at least 4,000 federal employees, with threats to lay off more.