Trump zeroes in on election security. His team has cut thousands of election-focused federal workers.
Trump Focuses on Election Security Amid Federal Cuts
Trump zeroes in on election security as his administration implements sweeping changes to federal agencies responsible for protecting American voting systems. Since taking office for his second term, the president has directed significant workforce reductions across multiple departments while simultaneously pushing for new voting legislation. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has seen nearly 1,000 personnel depart—representing roughly one-third of its workforce—by mid-2025.
Agency Restructuring and Budget Changes
CISA, originally established in 2018 with bipartisan support, faces substantial staffing reductions alongside budget adjustments. The fiscal year 2026 proposal estimates 2,649 positions with approximately $2.4 billion in funding, down from the Biden administration's $3 billion request for 2025. These cuts follow a contentious period after the 2020 election, when former director Chris Krebs called it "the most secure in American history"—a statement President Trump publicly criticized before dismissing him.
Broader election-security operations have also been restructured. CISA terminated federal support for the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which helps state and local offices defend against cyber threats. The agency similarly ended its cooperative arrangement with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, citing $10 million in annual savings and reduced duplication.
"States have been forced to rely on their own information-technology agencies, fusion centers, private vendors and informal interstate relationships for services that used to come from the federal government." — Senator Mark Warner, May 2025
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, formally requested Department of Homeland Security justification for reports that CISA was no longer providing election-security support to states and localities.
Broader Government Impact on Elections
Trump zeroes in on election integrity through multiple channels beyond CISA. The FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, created during his first administration following Russia's 2016 interference, was disbanded by Attorney General Pam Bondi on February 5, 2025. Bondi stated the dissolution would free resources for pressing priorities and reduce risks of politicized enforcement.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division reassigned senior career attorneys handling voting-rights enforcement while withdrawing from several cases. The Voting Section shifted focus toward voter-roll maintenance and suspected fraud. Meanwhile, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced a restructuring reducing ODNI's workforce by more than 40 percent and dismantling the Foreign Malign Influence Center.
House state officials have urged Congress to restore or extend federal cybersecurity programs and grants, noting that local entities face escalating threats without adequate personnel or resources. These combined changes represent a significant realignment of how the federal government protects American elections from both domestic and foreign challenges.