Trump’s Pick to Lead CISA is Stuck in Confirmation Limbo

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s top cyber defense agency is stuck in confirmation limbo, delayed by scheduling setbacks and a Senate hold over an unrelated report – deepening uncertainty amid a major operational overhaul at the agency.

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Trump nominated Sean Plankey, a former Department of Energy and National Security Council cybersecurity official, to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in early March (see: Trump Taps Ex-DOE, NSC Leader Sean Plankey as CISA Director).

Plankey missed a June confirmation hearing due to delays in finalizing his FBI security clearance, triggering procedural snags and scheduling confusion between the White House and the Senate committee overseeing his nomination.

A source familiar with the committee’s timeline told Information Security Media Group that confusion began when Plankey missed the June 5 hearing but was still added to the committee’s June 12 agenda for a vote. Holding a vote on a major federal nominee without a confirmation hearing would break Senate norms and could further complicate Plankey’s nomination, which is also stalled by a procedural hold from a Democratic senator.

The Trump administration expects Plankey to ultimately clear the committee due to his cybersecurity credentials and strong private sector ties. But even if the committee advances his nomination, a full Senate vote remains blocked by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is demanding that CISA release a 2022 report on telecom vulnerabilities tied to the Salt Typhoon hack.

In a statement explaining his hold, Wyden accused CISA of a “multi-year cover up” of negligent cybersecurity practices by telecommunications firms and the agency’s failure to address Chinese hacking threats in the sector. He said he will block the nomination until CISA releases an unclassified report written independent experts, which he said “contains important factual information that the public has a right to see.”

“While it is too late to prevent the Salt Typhoon hack, there is still time to prevent the next incident,” Wyden said. “As such, I intend to object to considering this nominee until CISA agrees to release this report, which will enable Congress and the public to better understand the current threats and the need for stronger cyber defenses.”

Delays in Plankey’s nomination have stalled plans for a mission and workforce overhaul at CISA, where the White House has proposed cutting nearly one-third of staff and $425 million from the fiscal year 2026 budget. Former Acting Director Bridget Bean, who stepped down in June, previously told staff the realignment was on hold as leaders were “preserving decision space” for incoming Trump-appointed officials.

CISA staffers have voiced growing concern about the agency’s leadership vacuum and departure of key personnel such as Matt Hartman, a 15-year Department of Homeland Security who participated in CISA’s creation (see: ‘There Will Be Pain’: CISA Cuts Spark Bipartisan Concerns).

“People just want to know what’s coming next,” one CISA staffer said Monday. “They want to know who is in charge, and what they want to do with us.”

The reasons behind Plankey’s clearance issues remain unclear, though some analysts suggest a backlog of FBI background investigations could be to blame rather than any problem with his application. They also noted that Plankey has held roles at multiple federal agencies and previously passed background checks.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment and typically does not address its security clearance or background investigation procedures.

CISA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Plankey’s delayed nomination.