Cybersecurity Policy Report, Democratic Lawmakers: U.S. Unprepared for Iranian Cyber Retaliation, (Jun 26, 2025)
The U.S. is unprepared for cyber retaliation by Iran following the U.S. bombing of the nation over the weekend because the Trump administration is “gutting” U.S. cyber defenses, according to Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Reed noted that the Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) bulletin following Saturday’s bombing of suspected nuclear development sites in Iran (CPR, June 23).
But the ability of U.S. critical infrastructure to defend itself from expected Iranian cyber attacks has been undermined by the Trump administration’s efforts to slash budgets at relevant federal agencies, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, he warned in a statement.
More than 1,000 CISA employees—about one-third of its workforce—have been forced out, and the administration’s proposed budget for the agency (CPR, June 2) recommends a reduction of $490 million for fiscal year 2026 compared with FY 2025, Sen. Reed said.
“As the cyber threat level is rising from Iran, affiliated hacktivists, and other adversaries, the Trump Administration is gutting CISA and taking down our best defenses, leaving America dangerously exposed to cyberattacks,” he said.
“The Trump Administration must stop undermining the capacity of America’s cyber defense agency. I urge the Trump Administration to take immediate action to rehire technical cyber talent, restore CISA funding, and reinstate key cyber defense programs immediately,” he said.
“We need to ramp up in the weeks and months ahead and be vigilant in defending against offensive cyber operations by Iran or their partners,” he added.
Similar concerns were expressed by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, who criticized the NTAS bulletin for its lack of details on specific cyber threats that cyber defenders should watch for.
“It is completely irresponsible for [Secretary] Kristi Noem and DHS to issue a terrorism alert to the nation without any context—as if current events are happening in a vacuum. To be clear, we are at an increased threat level today—and apparently for at least the next three months—because of Donald Trump’s actions in the Middle East,” Rep. Thompson said in a statement.
“We are also more vulnerable to attack today because the Trump administration has decimated our cyber defenses in the name of ‘government efficiency,’” he said.
“We need more information on the increased threat level, and I demand a classified briefing from DHS and the FBI on how the nation will be impacted,” Rep. Thompson added. “Relevant counterterrorism officials should also be made available to testify on what they are doing to keep the country safe.”
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