Some cybersecurity actions are also stalled in Congress. For instance, the Trump administration's nominee for head of CISA, Sean Plankey, has yet to be confirmed since summer hearings.
A less proactive federal government when it comes to cybersecurity is concerning based on the recent history of rising nation-state linked attacks. On Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office was targeted in a hack, reportedly by a foreign nation-state actor, according to the Washington Post.
"I agree that we have more pessimistic view of government cybersecurity efforts over the past eight months, as opposed to the administration's self assessment," said Montgomery.
"Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem [Department of Homeland Security Secretary Krisit Noem], CISA is steadfastly fulfilling its core mission by demonstrating daily operational collaboration, accelerating intelligence sharing, and strengthening our defense of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure across the nation," wrote a CISA spokeswoman in an emailed statement.
The assessment of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, now part of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, came despite public commitments by the Trump administration to strengthen cyber defense.
Montgomery said the primary causes of the slip in cyber readiness are cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, as well as earlier DOGE efforts carving a wide swath through the State Department, the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The most recent assessment of cybersecurity , based on the goals set forward by the bipartisan U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission, found that the U.S. was slipping in its progress toward 82 goals to create a strong cyber defense. "We were surprised and disappointed," said Ret. Admiral Mark Montgomery, the executive director of Cybersolarium.org. The goals include things like reducing complex regulations on critical infrastructure companies, adding to cyber capacity in the FBI and within intelligence agencies, and improving K-12 cybersecurity education.
Almost a year into the second Trump administration, public sector leaders and cybersecurity experts say budget cuts and gutting of federal agencies are weakening critical lines of government communication to help companies prepare and respond to cyberattacks, even as AI threats are rising.
Sean Plankey, nominee to be director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, testifies during his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Thursday, July 24, 2025. His nomination remains unconfirmed.
The upshot, according to national security experts, is a federal government that is less active than it should be in cybersecurity efforts across the country.
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