Cybersecurity Policy Report, Emerging Cyber Threats Should Be Examined at 9/11 Anniversary Hearing, Thompson Says, (Sep 2, 2026)
Citing the diminution of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and leadership turnover at top national security agencies, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.) is calling for a hearing to examine the state of homeland security.
In a letter sent yesterday to Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R., N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Thompson, the committee’s ranking member, requested a hearing on “worldwide threats to the homeland” tied to the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.
Such a hearing would be “consistent with the Committee’s longstanding practice” and should include testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, and Joseph Weirsky, acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Rep. Thompson said.
“The threats facing the United States have changed dramatically since December 11, 2025, when the Committee held its last hearing on ‘Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,’” Rep. Thompson noted, citing new technologies that could be used for cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and the president’s decision to attack Iran.
“Iran is apparently retaliating in cyberspace, attacking critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day. Increasingly powerful artificial intelligence (AI) models and advances in quantum computing are challenging the security frameworks upon which governments and the private sector have long relied and potentially providing new tools of destruction to our adversaries,” he warned.
“As both Democrats and Republicans have lamented, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency lost nearly one-third of its workforce over the past 18 months, and by late last year the former Acting Director said that the nearly 40 percent vacancy rate across key mission areas limited the agency’s ‘ability to fully support national security imperatives and administration priorities,’” Rep. Thompson recalled.
“Now the Agency is racing against the evolution of highly consequential technologies to onboard new employees who can help the government and critical infrastructure owners manage the associated risks,” he said.
President Trump seems “unfazed” by cyber attacks and other national security threats and is instead focusing on an “obsession” with “draconian” policies regarding immigration and political retribution, Rep. Thompson told Chairman Garbarino.
“Instead of investing in the cybersecurity of State and local governments or vulnerable critical infrastructure, the President has chosen to arm Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel with shock gloves and purchase empty warehouses—some of which ICE is now trying to offload—to detain noncitizens,” he said.
“The fact is, Trump is siphoning resources away from detecting and addressing novel threats and preparing communities across the country to respond to them in favor of shock and awe tactics aimed at impressing his base, intimidating his critics, and boosting his ego. Unfortunately, homeland security does not appear to be a consideration,” he said.
“While I appreciate the activities you have scheduled to observe the anniversary of the horrific 9/11 attacks, none of them are an adequate substitute for an open hearing during which the Committee can interrogate the administration’s assessment of threats to the homeland and evaluate its plans to address them,” Rep. Thompson told Chairman Garbarino. “As leaders of this Committee, we owe it to the Americans who perished during the 9/11 attacks to ensure the administration is focused on the most pressing threats facing the Nation.”
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