Plankey nomination for CISA director advances to Senate floor

Sean Plankey’s nomination to direct the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advanced out of committee on Wednesday after languishing for several months, bringing him one step closer to confirmation. 

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-6 in favor of Plankey’s nomination, setting up a vote in the full Senate.

Plankey was first announced as the nominee in March. After a vote was finally scheduled in June, it was postponed at the last minute due to what the committee called a routine matter related to finalizing his security clearance.

At his nomination hearing, Plankey told senators concerned about personnel cuts at CISA that he would not hesitate to ask Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for additional funding if he arrived at the agency and determined it could not effectively operate as a result of its smaller staff.

Plankey also expressed strong support for CISA’s state and local grant program for cybersecurity, saying the agency “exists to support all Americans across the United States.”

His pledge to preserve that program is notable given other steep cuts at CISA. 

Cybersecurity Dive reported Wednesday that contracts for more than 100 people working for CISA’s premiere public private partnership program, known as the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), have been allowed to expire.

If the contracts are not renewed, the JCDC will be staffed by just 10 contractors, according to the report. It noted the remaining contractors could also be forced out on September 30 absent a leadership decision to keep funding for their roles.

Plankey’s nomination is expected to proceed without any hiccups. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) had threatened to block it if a report on security flaws in the telecommunications sector was not released. On Tuesday, a CISA spokesperson said the agency will release the report, which has been withheld since 2022, after it is subject to “proper clearance.”