Some Republican lawmakers who once wanted to gut CISA are now asking Congress to give it more money and staff. Cyberattacks are getting worse, AI is changing what those attacks look like, and the midterms are close. Together, that's shifted how these members talk about the agency.
Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Don Bacon are among those pushing to restore CISA's funding and hire back staff. They argue the agency is what stands between the country's election systems, power grids, and water utilities and the people trying to break into them.
Garbarino said the GOP's old complaints were mostly about CISA's role in policing election misinformation. That's not what's driving the concern now. Fast-moving AI has made cybersecurity itself the bigger worry.
Bacon's complaint is more operational: understaffing and no permanent leadership have left the agency weaker, right when it's supposed to be protecting both government and private networks.
That shift isn't limited to two members. Republicans who voted for funding cuts a few years ago are now warning that AI-powered attacks and foreign hacking make a stronger CISA necessary.
The Department of Homeland Security says it plans to hire hundreds of new employees to rebuild the agency's cybersecurity operations. CISA is also expected to release an updated election security plan before November, working with state officials to find and fix vulnerabilities.
Not every Republican has come around. Some still fault CISA for how it handled misinformation in past elections. But the broader mood in the party has shifted toward treating the agency as essential, not optional.
Congress is weighing a budget increase for CISA for next fiscal year. If it passes, the agency would have more room to work on AI-related threats and infrastructure protection heading into the midterms.
