House Democrats Ask GAO to Review CISA Workforce Cuts After Agency Loses One-Third of Staff

Five House Democrats led by Reps. James Walkinshaw, Delia Ramirez, and Bennie Thompson, joined by Reps. Seth Magaziner and LaMonica McIver, sent an August 20 letter to acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown asking the Government Accountability Office to review workforce and program cuts at CISA 123. The letter states CISA has lost nearly one-third of its staff, with headcount falling from roughly 3,300 in January 2025 to about 2,389 by December, and asks GAO to assess how the reductions affected agency programs, contractor reliance, and critical-infrastructure protection 24. GAO spokesperson Sarah Kaczmarek confirmed receipt of the request, saying the office is still determining whether and when it will take up the review 34. Acting CISA Director Nick Andersen has said the agency plans to hire about 330 people, while DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has cited a need for roughly 600 additional staff over a rebuilding period of a year or more, even as the administration's fiscal 2027 budget request proposes eliminating nearly 900 more CISA positions 24.