Lawmakers Push for CISA Capability Audit Amid Workforce and Budget Pressure
Three House Democrats have introduced legislation requiring the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assess whether its current workforce, skills and resources are sufficient to protect federal networks and U.S. critical infrastructure.
The CISA Force Structure Assessment Act, H.R. 10474, was introduced by Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia, with Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Delia Ramirez of Illinois as cosponsors. The bill has been referred to the House Homeland Security, Oversight and Government Reform, and Energy and Commerce committees.
Review Would Measure CISA's Operational Capacity
The proposal would require CISA's director to conduct a broad assessment of staffing, professional training, industry certifications and resources across the agency's major cybersecurity responsibilities.
The review would examine CISA's ability to secure federal information systems, support state and local governments, conduct threat hunting and incident response, and defend critical infrastructure and operational technology.
It would also evaluate whether the agency is prepared for emerging security challenges involving artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other advanced technologies.
Findings Would Go Back to Congress
CISA would be required to consult federal agencies, state and local governments, information-sharing organizations and critical infrastructure operators while conducting the assessment.
Within one year of enactment, the agency would report its findings to the relevant House and Senate homeland security committees and recommend ways to address identified personnel, training, certification and resource gaps.
Workforce Reductions Drive Congressional Scrutiny
The legislation follows sustained debate over CISA's staffing and budget.
The Democratic sponsors say nearly 1,000 CISA employees have been fired, sidelined or departed since President Donald Trump returned to office, describing the losses as roughly one-third of the civilian cyber agency's workforce.
Lawmakers from both parties have previously raised concerns about reductions at CISA, although Republicans and Democrats have differed over the appropriate size, funding and scope of the agency.
CISA, meanwhile, has been pursuing hundreds of new hires even as broader budget proposals have called for additional spending reductions.
Cyber Workforce Becomes a National Security Issue
The proposed assessment would apply a concept more commonly associated with military organizations: determining whether an agency has the personnel and capabilities required to execute its assigned missions.
For CISA, that question increasingly extends beyond headcount. Federal cyber defenders must contend with sophisticated nation-state activity, attacks against operational technology, expanding critical-infrastructure responsibilities and rapidly developing AI and post-quantum security challenges.
The legislation would not itself restore positions or increase CISA's budget. Instead, it would require the agency to provide Congress with a formal assessment of where operational gaps exist and what resources would be required to address them.
That distinction makes the proposal primarily an oversight mechanism—one intended to give lawmakers a measurable picture of whether America's civilian cyber defense agency can continue meeting its expanding mission with its current workforce.