Trump’s Pick to Lead CISA is Stuck in Confirmation Limbo

Sean Plankey Has Support, But His CISA Nomination is Blocked and Delayed Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) • June 16, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s top cyber defense agency is stuck in confirmation limbo, delayed by scheduling setbacks and a Senate hold over an unrelated report - deepening uncertainty amid a major operational overhaul at the agency.

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Trump nominated Sean Plankey, a former Department of Energy and National Security Council cybersecurity official, to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in early March (see: Trump Taps Ex-DOE, NSC Leader Sean Plankey as CISA Director).

Plankey missed a June confirmation hearing due to delays in finalizing his FBI security clearance, triggering procedural snags and scheduling confusion between the White House and the Senate ...