文章指出，随著特朗普政府第一年接近结束，多位政府网安专家与官员警告：白宫推动裁员与改组，可能让联邦数位防御的「最低标准」倒退。此前联邦多年追赶老旧系统、补丁与基线防护；在多起重大外泄事件推动下，2018 年成立的 CISA 于 2020 年代初逐步站稳并拉升标准，但目前的用人与资源波动正侵蚀这些增量进展。
最关键的数据是 CISA 人力大幅缩水：约流失 1,000 人，超过三分之一；同时在关键任务领域约有 40% 的职缺率。审计机构 GAO 的建议仍「大量未完成」；审计长 Gene Dodaro 于 12 月 16 日在参议院听证上表示担心「在 CISA 松油门」，并认为未来会为此后悔。另有报导称 CISA 计划在 2026 年重建队伍。
今年秋季「持续数周」且超过五周的政府停摆，被描述为放大风险的事件：大规模休假可能造成监测盲点、加剧 IT 积压，并打断或终止与专业承包商的合作，导致难以替代的机构知识流失；在有限的临时拨款下，新合约与延期可能停滞，影响延伸到明年及更久。停摆期间 CBO 亦通报遭入侵并采取遏制措施；媒体称疑似外国行为者。作者以 2015 年 OPM（据称中国）与 2020 年 SolarWinds（据称俄罗斯）等案例，强调人员不稳与招聘收缩会放大「下一次重大事件」的代价。
As the first year of the Trump administration nears its end, experts and some officials warn that federal cybersecurity may be stagnating or backsliding. After years of catch-up—replacing legacy software, patching newer systems, and rolling out baseline protections—standards rose as major breaches drew attention and CISA (founded in 2018) matured in the early 2020s. They fear recent workforce downsizing and restructuring could quickly erode that incremental progress.
The central metrics are staffing losses and vacancy rates. CISA has lost about 1,000 people—more than one-third of its staff—and its acting director says key mission areas face roughly a 40% vacancy rate. GAO still has many open recommendations, and Comptroller General Gene Dodaro told the Senate on December 16 that the government may be “taking its foot off the gas” at CISA. Reporting also notes CISA plans to rebuild in 2026.
A weeks-long shutdown this fall, extending beyond five weeks, intensified concerns by furloughing staff, risking monitoring gaps, and worsening an IT backlog. It likely disrupted specialized contractors, and a limited continuing resolution may delay new contracts and extensions into next year. During the shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office disclosed a hack; media described a suspected foreign actor. Citing the 2015 OPM breach (attributed to China) and the 2020 SolarWinds campaign (linked to Russia), sources argue that brain drain and inconsistent staffing raise the stakes for the next major federal incident.