IC Oversight & Authorities — 2026-04-29

NSA/CYBERCOM Chief Warns Congress of Expected Foreign Election Interference, Admits Election Security Group Status Unknown

Army Gen. Joshua Rudd, head of NSA and U.S. Cyber Command, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 28 that foreign adversaries are expected to target the fall 2026 midterm elections, calling it reasonable to expect based on historical patterns. Rudd acknowledged uncertainty about whether the Election Security Group, the joint task force central to countering foreign election sabotage since 2018, has been reconvened, stating he did not know if an ESG had been established yet. CISA's election security program faces proposed elimination in the FY27 budget, and 75 percent of state and local election officials report insufficient resources to compensate for federal cuts.

Analysis
Rudd's uncertainty about whether the ESG has been reconvened, per The Record's direct coverage of the April 28 hearing, carries more weight than his threat assessment, which tracks historical norms. The ESG has anchored federal election security coordination since 2018, linking CISA, NSA, FBI, and DHS. Its uncertain status, combined with CISA's proposed program elimination and documented resource shortfalls at 75 percent of state and local offices, marks structural degradation of that architecture entering an election cycle. The ESG will likely not be formally reconvened before September 1, 2026, though a deliberate decision to consolidate functions under separate authority would make that absence a realignment rather than a lapse.

1 sources

Cyber Command, NSA chief warns foreign adversaries likely to target midterms - The Record