Trump administration’s cybersecurity funding cut by $495 million from CISA

Despite the surge in cyber threats, the Trump administration reportedly plans to cut cybersecurity funds. Trump’s team is aiming to reduce cybersecurity spending.

According to CybersecurityDive, President Trump’s 2026 Cybersecurity Budget The proposal will do so It cuts $495 million from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), eliminates nearly 30% of the workforce, and marks the major rollback of the country’s major cyber defense efforts. Under the plan, critical infrastructure entities and small businesses receive reduced support.

The Trump administration has proposed $495 million to cut cybersecurity funding despite the growing threat

Funding cuts are part of what civil servants describe as attempts to narrow CISA’s focus. But critics have already raised the red flag, especially given the central role of agencies in advocacy for government systems and critical infrastructure.

“The $495 million cut would cut $216 million, or 18% of current funds, from CISA’s cybersecurity division, which protects government networks and helps advocate for critical infrastructure,” CybersecurityDive reported.

The proposed cybersecurity reduction is proposed as the FBI reports ransomware attacks have doubled since 2023 and nation-state hackers are targeting critical infrastructure. The FBI IC3 report shows ransomware was the biggest threat to critical infrastructure in 2024, up 9% from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the cybersecurity division, which leads efforts to protect federal government networks, will lose $216 million, which is 18% of its current funding. The integrated business division, which works directly with businesses and local governments, will see a 20% reduction, or $46.2 million.

Some units face a sharper decline. The stakeholder engagement division, which manages partnerships with infrastructure organizations, is set to lose $62.2 million, wiping out 62% of the budget. The National Risk Management Center, responsible for threat analysis and forecasting, suffers a 73% cut and loses $97.4 million.

Often, CISA’s local team, which is the boots of ground agents, is also spared. Their funds fell by $36 million, at about 27%.

The proposal also aims to raise money, reducing $68.9 million from upgrades to tools such as continuous diagnostics and monitoring, cybersentry.

A total of 1,083 jobs have been eliminated, reducing CISA personnel to 2,649. This includes 204 cybersecurity roles, 327 from operations, 218 from management support, and 127 from stakeholder engagement.

Some of CISA’s high-impact programs are located in the chopping block. A collaborative environment that helps you understand threat data will lose $36.5 million. Joint CyberDefense Cooperation will lose $14 million. Additionally, CISA’s broader cybersecurity services to government agencies will be reduced by $19.7 million.

Training and education programs are also a hit. The CyberDefense Education and Training initiative has lost $45.4 million, suggesting that administrators will turn to free alternatives. Funds for vulnerability assessments have been reduced by $30 million, and the budget highlights the shift towards a “cost-effective solution.”

In the stakeholder engagement sector, 120 jobs will disappear and $306.5 million in operating funds will disappear. This eliminates advisory committees and teams supporting international cooperation efforts. Many of them were already targeted on the first day of Trump’s term.

In line with the administration’s previous decision to scrap CISA’s election security activities, the new budget would cut $36.7 million in funding related to its mission and 14 positions.

Approximately 301 vacancies across the department will be removed along with a confirmed departure from the agency’s workforce transition program. This includes 119 roles, 23 operations and 87 support features from the cybersecurity team.

This move occurs when cybersecurity threats are rising and not retreating. It is still unclear whether Congress has approved these cuts, but the administration’s message is clear. The role of CISA has been redefine.