House Democrats seek GAO audit of CISA workforce cuts
After a year of Democratic inquiries that never produced a clear accounting, House members are asking GAO to measure what CISA lost when it shed a third of its workforce, while Iranian cyberattacks on U.S. utilities test the agency that remains.
TL;DR
Five House Democrats asked the GAO on Thursday to audit how CISA's loss of roughly a third of its workforce has affected federal cyber defense and critical infrastructure protection. The letter, led by Reps. James Walkinshaw, Delia Ramirez, and Bennie Thompson, asks the watchdog to trace staffing changes over five years, identify which programs were cut, and evaluate whether CISA's human capital strategy matches its mission. The request lands while CISA and the FBI are responding to suspected Iranian cyberattacks on utilities across at least 12 states, and after a year of Democratic inquiries that never produced a clear picture of what was lost.
Five House Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office on Thursday to examine how CISA's loss of roughly a third of its workforce has affected the agency's ability to defend federal networks and critical infrastructure. The letter, led by Reps. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), lands as CISA and the FBI are actively helping utilities respond to suspected Iranian cyberattacks across at least 12 states.
Workforce size, contractor reliance, and capability gaps
The lawmakers want GAO to trace CISA's staffing changes over five years (headcount, composition, geographic distribution, and contractor dependence) and to identify which programs were affected by the reductions. The letter also asks GAO to evaluate what data CISA uses to make workforce decisions and whether its human capital strategy aligns with its current and future mission needs. "Little is known about the impact of these workforce reductions on CISA's programs and services," the lawmakers write.
A year of letters, no clear answers
The GAO request is the latest escalation in a year-long Democratic effort to get basic staffing data from the agency. Rep. Eric Swalwell demanded similar information in October 2025. Walkinshaw led a separate letter that same month alleging DHS violated the Antideficiency Act by conducting a reduction in force during a government shutdown. At a January hearing, acting director Madhu Gottumukkala declined to give Thompson a vacancy figure. The agency now sits at roughly 2,200 employees, down from about 3,300. Acting Director Nick Andersen says CISA plans to hire about 330 people; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has floated 600.
Hiring plans meet a budget that still cuts 870 positions
The administration's fiscal 2027 budget request calls for eliminating roughly 870 CISA positions, including election security, stakeholder engagement, workforce development, and other roles. House appropriators have since advanced a bill adding about $400 million above the White House request and setting aside $31 million for critical hires, but it hasn't reached a floor vote, and the Senate hasn't released its version. GAO audits typically take months. In the meantime, the agency tasked with defending federal civilian networks is attempting to rebuild while its future funding authorization remains an open question.
Published ·Updated ·Deep Fathom