Democrats press CISA’s acting chief over major staffing cuts

Madhu Gottumukkala, acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies during the DHS oversight hearing in the Cannon House office building on January 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee pressed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s acting director on workforce reductions and internal developments Wednesday as lawmakers examined the agency’s direction under the second Trump administration.

Madhu Gottumukkala, CISA’s acting director, testified before the panel alongside top officials from other agencies. He rehashed CISA’s efforts over the past year to better align its work with its statutory authorities and sought to defend major cost-cutting measures that have seen around a third of the cyber agency’s employees leave in the past 12 months.

CISA is “executing a mission-first approach” by “prioritizing what works, eliminating duplication and ensuring that every product and service directly advances ...