US Senate Democrats Push Noem on Cybersecurity Spending Cuts

Senate Democrats during a Tuesday committee hearing pushed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the Trump administration’s cuts to the cybersecurity component of the U.S. federal department she leads.

The Trump administration proposes cutting the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency budget by roughly $500 million – and reportedly has already lost 700 employees, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said, a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Noem testified during a hearing on Department of Homeland Security’s spending proposal for the coming federal fiscal year (see: White House Proposes $500 Million Cut to CISA).

“I have serious concerns that some of these changes are harming, rather than helping, the department in its mission to protect the safety and security of all Americans,” Peters said, including CISA in a list of DHS components affected by a sharp reordering of federal spending during the first months of the Trump administration.

Noem told the committee CISA will “continue to fulfill” its statutory obligations. Cuts have been necessary for “getting rid of the Ministry of Truth at CISA, the employees that were duplicative, that were fulfilling roles that weren’t related to cybersecurity.”

In response to a question from committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., Noem pledged to reveal “thousands of documents that have proven that [CISA was] involved in censorship and policing speech.”

Republicans for years now have accused CISA of censoring political speech, work that Biden administration officials characterized as countering online disinformation. A federal appeals court in October 2023 told CISA not to “coerce or significantly encourage” tech companies into taking down social media posts. The agency continued through the 2024 election to maintain a “Rumor vs. Reality” fact-checking page but has since apparently terminated all election security work (see: CISA Budget Cuts Weaken US Election Security, Officials Warn).

“I would say that under the president’s budget, cybersecurity is only strengthened,” Noem told the committee.

Noem pledged to continue working with state and local governments to strengthen their cybersecurity, calling that work “one of the core critical missions of CISA.” As governor of South Dakota, Noem turned down millions of dollars in federal cybersecurity grants. During her tenure as secretary, Noem canceled nearly $10 million in annual funding for two national cybersecurity hubs providing real-time threat intelligence to state and local governments.

“You cannot say it’s the most cyber secure administration if you’re cutting the programs to my state and your state,” Michigan Democratic Sen. Elisa Slotkin said.