Senate Intel Vice Chair Warner Statement on Secretary Mullin’s Pledge to Rehire 600 Staffers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement: Secretary Mullin and Acting Director Andersen’s initiative to restore the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) workforce is an important step toward protecting America’s cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. The Trump administration put every American’s prosperity, safety, and security at risk when it removed thousands of public servants from the federal government and armed forces. The cuts to America’s national security agencies — the military, Intelligence Community, law enforcement, and Homeland Security — are dangerous and make America less safe. For this very reason, I have persistently called on the President and his cabinet to support the federal employees on the front lines defending our national security — a call the Trump administration has largely ignored. Last week, Acting Director of National Intelligence Pulte fired counterterrorism intelligence professionals, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth removed another honorable and experienced senior military leader. These decisions raise serious questions about the administration’s priorities, particularly given the scale of the threats facing the United States from America’s adversaries, criminals, and emerging technology. CISA’s recent announcement that it plans to rehire 600 federal employees is a notable exception. CISA staff perform a vital role supporting states, companies, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and other federal agencies in defending cyberspace and critical infrastructure. The more than 1,000 CISA staff who were pushed out should never have lost their jobs in the first place — but if this reversal signals that someone in this administration is finally taking national security leadership seriously, that is progress worth acknowledging. ###