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HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top election official is warning the federal government that its decision to end a program that helps monitor and prepare for election threats will “make elections less secure.”
In a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, first obtained by Votebeat and Spotlight PA, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt noted the risks of withdrawing support for local election officials provided by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“I have seen firsthand how CISA’s work has helped prevent and address security incidents, and I worry about the serious consequences of removing this support for our local elections officials without an adequate substitute,” Schmidt wrote.
The Trump administration and Noem recently cut staff and funding for programs through CISA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Last week, CISA confirmed it had cut $10 million in federal funding for activities done in coordination with the Center for Internet Security, citing a need to eliminate overlap and redirect resources. The cuts target two clearinghouses run by CIS: the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or MS-ISAC, and the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, EI-ISAC, which provide cybersecurity intelligence, monitoring, and coordination for state and local governments.
In February, The Washington Post reported that the agency had cut staff focused on foreign interference in U.S. elections.
CISA was created in 2018 under the first Trump administration in the wake of Russia’s well-publicized attempts to influence U.S. elections and other high-profile online threats. The new agency’s mission was to help bolster cyber and physical security across the many levels of government, as well as in the private sector.
Elections are a significant part of CISA’s work. It supports local election officials by giving them access to intelligence on threats around the country and providing them with physical security assessments so that they can strengthen their operations.
In his letter, Schmidt cited several examples of election officials benefiting from the programs in last year’s presidential election.
He pointed to CISA notifying election officials on Election Day about bomb threats sent to election offices around the county; CISA and other agencies quickly debunking a fake video of ballots being destroyed in Bucks County; and information provided by CISA about election offices receiving envelopes with an unknown white powder.
“Within hours, [CISA] security advisors were able to share a photograph of one of the envelopes giving the Postal Inspector and elections offices the specific intelligence they needed to intercept the letters,” Schmidt wrote.
In a statement to Votebeat over the weekend, the Center for Internet Security also expressed apprehension over the recent cuts.
“While we respect DHS’ budgetary authority, we are concerned that recent cuts in funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) will make state and local governments vulnerable to persistent cybersecurity attacks from foreign adversaries,” the statement said. “The Center for Internet Security is committed to keeping state and local governments secure, and we are working with the more than 18,000 members of the MS-ISAC to fill the gap left by the cancellation of these services.”
A spokesperson for CISA declined to comment on Schmidt’s letter, but said CISA’s $10 million funding cut does not “preclude CIS from funding the EI-ISAC with other funds.”
“The decision to shutter the EI-ISAC was made by CIS,” the spokesperson said. “Election infrastructure owners and operators have access to the same CISA support as other critical infrastructure entities, including access to cyber and physical security services and incident response.”
CIS has said the cut in funding resulted in the EI-ISAC’s termination.
Votebeat reporter Jen Fifield contributed to this report.
Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org.
