Trump’s CISA nominee said he left Coast Guard to address GOP hold

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks to reporters following a briefing by Trump administration officials to members of the Senate on U.S. strikes on Iran on March 3, 2026. Scott placed a hold on Sean Plankey’s nomination to lead CISA last year over concerns about his ties to shipbuilding work. Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency privately told stakeholders he left his role in the U.S. Coast Guard to address concerns about his ties to shipbuilding work that led a Republican lawmaker to place a hold on his nomination late last year.

Sean Plankey told several peers this week that he wrapped up his time at the Coast Guard to show Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., that he is no longer involved in shipbuilding contract work and that there would be no reason for ...