Despite the new measures, election security experts note that a multi-month intelligence gap exists due to the earlier dismantling of CISA's specialized regional adviser network.
Geoff Hale, former CISA election security official and visiting fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said, "We are well until the election cycle.
It is not simply about Election Day. Election Day is not when the Russians started in 2016.
It is not when the Iranians started in 2020. People should be realizing we have a gap of information of 14 to 18 months."
Bipartisan Support Surges
Bipartisan support on Capitol Hill has recently surged to restore funding and staffing to CISA, driven by emerging concerns regarding artificial intelligence-powered hacking capabilities against national infrastructure.
Key House leaders on oversight panels have publicly urged Congress to abandon delays and re-invest in the agency's primary operational capacity.
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Representative Don Bacon, Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems, said, "PowerPoint is not capability."
Lawmakers emphasizing the urgency of defense capabilities argue that workforce cuts directly compromise protection across energy, public utility, and election networks.
Bacon added, "I’m a big proponent of CISA.
If you don’t like what it’s doing, get new leadership; don’t fire a third of its people … because they’re the ones who defend our private sector, our energy grid and our elections."
Members of the House Homeland Security cyber subcommittee who previously supported budget limitations have shifted their stance due to foreign technological competition.
