Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, FEDERAL LEGISLATION—Bill would demand diversity in CISA’s cyber workforce recruitment, (Dec 11, 2025)
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would have to create a workforce recruitment strategy focused on diversity under legislation introduced yesterday in the House.
The Expanding Cybersecurity Workforce Act (H.R. 6429, 119th Cong. (2025)) would require “a new diversity program at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and requires CISA to expand existing education and outreach activities and promote cybersecurity careers to a diverse audience,” according to its sponsor, Rep. Shontel Brown (D., Ohio), ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s cybersecurity, information technology, and government innovation subcommittee.
The bill would direct CISA to focus its recruitment efforts on “disadvantaged communities, older individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, geographically diverse communities, socioeconomically diverse communities, individuals from nontraditional educational paths, veterans, and individuals who were formerly incarcerated,” Rep. Brown noted in a news release.
“When our cybersecurity workforce includes everyone, our systems thrive. By bringing in Americans from all backgrounds, we can make our country more secure, expand access to good-paying jobs, and strengthen our economy,” she said.
“Cybersecurity is a fast-growing field that is absolutely essential to our security and our competitiveness, and we don’t have enough workers to meet current demand. This bill tackles that shortage head-on. While the Trump Administration is laser-focused on closing doors, this bill creates more pathways to success for people from all backgrounds,” Rep. Brown added.
She criticized the Trump administration for “massive staff cuts at CISA” that she said undermined “our nation’s efforts to deter foreign attacks and strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity network.”
She also cited estimates from the Aspen Institute “that only 9% of cybersecurity workers are Black, only 4% are Hispanic, only 1% are Native American, and only 24% are women.”
The bill would authorize expenditures of $20 million annually through 2030 for the workforce program. It has 28 Democratic co-sponsors and an endorsement from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA).
“As a nonprofit association dedicated to building a future-ready digital trust workforce, ISACA strongly supports this legislation to expand opportunities in the cybersecurity field,” said Emily Bastedo, ISACA’s director—global government relations and public affairs. “Creating these critical cybersecurity pathways provides meaningful careers, strengthens our communities and improves our nation’s cyberresilience.”
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