White House Urges Cybersecurity Job Protection Amid Budget Cuts 

United States: Federal agencies received an urgent White House directive to protect their cybersecurity teams from cuts as they work to meet a Thursday deadline regarding budget reduction plans. This information was retrieved from an email released to Reuters. 

Cybersecurity = National Security 

On Wednesday, Greg Barbaccia, the federal chief information officer, addressed questions regarding cybersecurity staff exemption from cuts by citing national security protection for their work. 

“We believe cybersecurity is national security and we encourage Department-level Chief Information Officers to consider this when reviewing their organizations,” he wrote in the email to information technology employees across the federal government which has not been previously reported. 

Describing “skilled cyber security professionals” as playing “a vital role in mission delivery and information assurance,” he said, “We are confident federal agencies will be able to identify efficiencies across their non-cyber mission areas without negatively affecting their agency’s cyber posture,” he added. 

A request for comments submitted to The Office of Management and Budget failed to bring a response during the first hour. 

🤦‍♀️
As of 2/14, > 130 positions had been cut from Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, according to CISA.

White House instructs agencies to avoid firing cybersecurity staff, email says
Reuters archive:https://t.co/DN52JKGhtL

— Jan SMH Harper (@SmhJan) March 14, 2025

Trump and Musk’s Budget Cuts Raise Concerns 

The recent email demonstrates an escalating worry that the sweeping budget reductions ordered by President Donald Trump, together with his influential adviser Elon Musk, pose threats to U.S. cybersecurity protection capabilities. 

According to testimony given by Rob Joyce, who formerly directed the NSA’s cybersecurity efforts, the planned massive workforce reduction would create devastating results for both national security and cybersecurity. 

Musk’s DOGE Program Under Fire 

The Department of Government Efficiency program led by Elon Musk faces severe scrutiny due to concerns that unrestricted system access exposes government data to hacker penetration and intelligence disclosures, as reported by Reuters. 

DOGE received authorization to access highly sensitive Social Security Administration data against the recommendations of senior agency personnel. The declaration filed by SSAC Local 192 in February 2022 in their lawsuit against SSA reveals an ex-department staff member stated they doubted that DOGE associates could safeguard sensitive data successfully. They further advised that the dangers of wrong-hand access and data leaks were high in this disorganized situation. 

Cybersecurity Workforce Already Shrinking 

More than 130 positions disappeared from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security by February 14, based on CISA data.