US CISA Acting Director Bridget Bean Steps Down

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency notched another high-level departure with the departure of Bridget Bean, who has been its acting director since the Trump administration took power in January.

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Bean, who had been at CISA for nearly three years as executive director and chief integration officer, is retiring from the civil service, the agency confirmed Wednesday. CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy said the agency extends “its sincere appreciation” to Bean “for more than 30 years of distinguished service to the federal government.”

“Her leadership has been instrumental in strengthening the Agency’s operational effectiveness, implementing organizational efficiencies, and advancing key priorities aligned with President Trump’s initiatives,” the statement continued.

The agency currently lists Madhu Gottumukkala, CISA deputy director, as the new acting director.

President Donald Trump nominated Sean Plankey, a former Department of Energy and National Security Council cybersecurity official, to lead CISA, but his nomination faces hurdles including a hold from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is demanding the agency release its 2022 report on telecom vulnerabilities tied to last year’s Salt Typhoon hack. Plankey was due to testify earlier this month before a Senate committee but was pulled from the panel at the last minute due to reported delays in his FBI security clearance process.

Bean’s retirement adds to a steady stream of senior exits from CISA including the departure of acting Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Matt Hartman, leaders from five of CISA’s six operational divisions and officials from six of its 10 regional offices (see: CISA’s Leadership Exodus Continues, Shaking Local Offices).

Bean defended recent budget cuts and remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during congressional testimony in late May. She told a House Appropriations subcommittee that the agency was “eliminating duplication and increasing efficiency” as the White House pushes to cut nearly one-third of CISA’s workforce and reduce its budget by almost $425 million for fiscal year 2026 (see: CISA’s Acting Director Defends Cuts Amid Growing Turmoil).

Several staffers across CISA’s divisions and regional offices have told Information Security Media Group in recent months they’re concerned about a shift in the agency’s mission under the new administration, which has already ended local election security partnerships – a major cornerstone of regional operations since the agency’s inception, particularly in the lead up to the 2024 election. Several employees also described the exit of senior leaders like Hartman, a 15-year Department of Homeland Security veteran and key figure in CISA’s formation, as a major loss that could accelerate further internal upheaval.

The fiscal year 2026 budget proposal for CISA calls for nearly $150 million in cuts to cyber operations, scraps cyber defense training efforts, slashes funding for infrastructure risk analysis and scales back resources for election security, international collaboration and stakeholder outreach. The proposed reductions span across nearly every division, raising concerns about CISA’s capacity to address evolving threats and maintain coordination with state and local partners (see: ‘There Will Be Pain’: CISA Cuts Spark Bipartisan Concerns).

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on Monday approved a funding bill that would fund CISA with $2.7 billion, resulting in a cut of $134.8 million rather than $150 million. The subcommittee made “strategic reductions to redundant, unauthorized, or duplicative programs,” a fact sheet states.

“CISA strayed from the authority given to it by the Congress,” subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said. Committee Republicans have “returned the focus of CISA to its core mission of protecting federal networks, and ensuring that the days of censorship through mis-, dis- and mal- information efforts are over.”

House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., opposed the bill, stating the bill and its cuts “weakens our national security, and leaves Americans vulnerable to attacks from our adversaries by sharply cutting cyber and infrastructure security.”