Kristi Noem rejects the notion that the Trump administration is deprioritising cybersecurity.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has strongly criticised the current direction of CISA, accusing it of straying from its core mission by focusing on disinformation rather than cybersecurity.
Speaking at RSA Conference in San Francisco, Noem emphasised that CISA should concentrate on protecting national infrastructure from cyber threats, not policing information, asserting, “CISA is not the Ministry of Truth.”
Noem announced a formal review of the agency’s operations, including its staffing, funding, and headquarters, with the intent of restructuring it to better serve state and local governments and small businesses through practical, technical support.
Workforce Reductions
Despite significant workforce reductions and funding cuts at CISA - including the elimination of up to 1,300 positions and $10 million in annual funding to the Center for Internet Security - Noem rejected the notion that the Trump administration is deprioritising cybersecurity.
She pointed to the administration's strong presence at the conference as evidence of ongoing commitment, highlighting the attendance of senior DHS leaders including the incoming CISA director.
Noem emphasised that the focus is shifting toward operational efficiency and targeted outcomes, not diminished importance.
Chinese Threat
Noem also identified China as the greatest cyber threat facing the U.S. and defended the controversial closure of DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate, the agency’s main research arm.
While this decision has caused concern among academics and cybersecurity experts, Noem argued that government-led research has often been ineffective. She proposed that innovation should be driven by universities and private industry, which she believes are better equipped to produce timely and impactful cybersecurity advancements.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
