Trump’s pick for CISA director withdraws from consideration
The Trump administration’s choice to run the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has withdrawn from consideration after his nomination stalled for more than a year in the Senate, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
Sean Plankey spent several months after his March 2025 nomination working as an adviser to then Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem with a focus on the U.S Coast Guard. He left that role in March after reportedly telling colleagues that he needed to focus on assuaging concerns about his Coast Guard work that had led Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to block his nomination.
More than a month after his departure from DHS, Plankey’s nomination remained on hold.
CISA is currently being run by Acting Director Nick Andersen, and it is unclear who the Trump administration will nominate to lead the agency going forward.
The agency has been hobbled in recent months after losing about 30% of its workforce to widespread layoffs and experiencing furloughs due to the recent government shutdown.
A CISA spokesperson deferred comment to DHS, which declined to comment.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) released a statement saying that he is “sad to hear that [Plankey] has withdrawn.”
“We are at a pivotal time as America faces heightened cyber threats, and I’ve continued to say that CISA needs a Senate-confirmed Director to steer the ship,” the statement said. “I look forward to working with the administration when a new nominee is put forward, and I hope this is a quick process given how long CISA has been without confirmed leadership.”
News of Plankey’s withdrawal was first reported by Politico. The publication quoted from a letter that Plankey sent to the White House explaining his decision.
“After thirteen months since my initial nomination, it has become clear the Senate will not confirm me,” the letter sent Wednesday said. “While I humbly request the removal of my nomination, I wholeheartedly support President Trump’s upcoming nomination for CISA and look forward to the continued success of the United States of America.”
Plankey’s nomination to run CISA was initially met with fanfare as cyber experts and officials hailed his expertise and leadership skills.
Soon after Plankey’s nomination was announced, however, roadblocks emerged. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said he would block a vote to confirm Plankey due to CISA’s refusal to publicly release an unclassified report on cyber weaknesses in the U.S. telecom industry.
Plankey is a longtime fixture in the cybersecurity policy community. He served as the Department of Energy’s top cybersecurity official in the first Trump administration and prior to that focused on maritime cybersecurity for the National Security Council.
He also has spent several years in cybersecurity leadership positions in industry.
Suzanne Smalley
is a reporter covering digital privacy, surveillance technologies and cybersecurity policy for The Record. She was previously a cybersecurity reporter at CyberScoop. Earlier in her career Suzanne covered the Boston Police Department for the Boston Globe and two presidential campaign cycles for Newsweek. She lives in Washington with her husband and three children.
Martin Matishak
is the senior cybersecurity reporter for The Record. Prior to joining Recorded Future News in 2021, he spent more than five years at Politico, where he covered digital and national security developments across Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community. He previously was a reporter at The Hill, National Journal Group and Inside Washington Publishers.