NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Senate Committee voted Wednesday to vote for President Donald Trump to lead the institutions securing the country’s critical infrastructure. Includes election system.
Members of the Senate’s Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee voted to recommend 9-6 Shawn Planky Nomination to Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as the CISA, under the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency is dealing with cuts in workforce and funding, as well as criticism from Republicans over some of its election-related activities.
Plankey, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2023, worked in the first Trump administration as director of cyber policy for the National Security Council and as Chief Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Energy.
If confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, he will inherit an institution that has been plagued by partisan tensions about the role it should play. Fighting against false claims About voting or election fraud. These claims led to a Lack of trust Among Republicans Election workers and Voting machine Since Trump It’s begun Lies about widespread scams leads to His loss In the 2020 election. a Most Republicans I still believe in that Democrat Joe Biden He was not a justly elected president in 2020.
Plankey faces a potential obstacle to the road to confirmation. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-ore.) pending the nomination in April to request that CISA release an uncategorized 2022 report on communications vulnerabilities. Wyden said Wednesday he would not be merciless until the report is released. CISA spokesman Marci McCarthy said in an email statement that the agency will release the report.
CISA is tasked with protecting the country’s critical infrastructure, from dams and power plants to banks and voting systems.
He has received praise from both parties’ state election officials for his work protecting these systems. But it has also been heavily criticized by Republicans who advocate the effort. Counter incorrect information The election and the Covid-19 pandemic have turned into censorship. Inside her Senate Hearing When he became Homeland Security Secretary in January, Christie Noem said the agency was lost “far away.”
CISA officials say they are Do not engage in censorship They also worked with the state in 2020 to help social media companies notify them of misinformation spreading across their platforms. They said they were not trying to force government agencies to act on these businesses.
CISA collaborated with other federal agencies 2024 Generally warns against a variety of things Foreign false reporting campaign It is related to elections.
During the confirmation hearing on July 24th, Plankey faced several pointed questions about election safety.
When Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn. Asked him 2020 election Plankey didn’t answer directly because it was equipped and stolen. Instead, he said he had not considered cybersecurity in the election and that his personal opinions were not relevant. He admitted that Biden’s victory was confirmed by the College of Elections and that he was sworn in.
Blumenthal then thrusts onto Plankey about what he would do if Trump stoked him off to falsely claim that the 2026 or 2028 elections had been consolidated.
“These are national elections, as cybersecurity experts,” Plankey replied. “I’m not reviewing the cybersecurity attitudes in all 50 states. It’s like a doctor diagnosing someone on television because they saw him on the news.”
“No,” replied Blumenthal. “It’s like a doctor who is responsible for the patient coming to him and making the diagnosis.”
The senator called Planky’s answer “unsatisfactory” and accused him of “damaging the nation’s trust in the election equipment.”
Prankie will also face the challenge of leading an agency that has undergone structural changes in Trump’s second term. These include funding and labor cuts, and a suspension of election security, pending a homeland security review.
Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) asked Plankey how the agency’s statutory requirements would be met given what would be expected. Million-dollar budget cuts And then the staff leaves the agency.
The candidate said he learned through his leadership experience to “enable operators to operate” and praised the institution’s staff for the cybersecurity capabilities. He said they would either reorganize the CISA or ask for more money if necessary.
Plankey’s advances come when ranking Democrats on the Senate Committee overseeing elections in the House send multiple letter Requests CISA leadership information regarding the status of its efforts to reduce its workforce and support election infrastructure. They have not received a response.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order to direct the US Department of Justice: Examines Chris Krebs, former CISA head And strip him of his security clearance. Krebs became the target of Trump’s rage after he insisted The 2020 election was safe And the vote count was accurate.
