The Trump administration has launched a sweeping review of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) after concerns that the agency expanded beyond its intended cybersecurity role and became involved in election-related censorship as detailed here. This move has sparked outrage from media outlets that have defended CISA’s involvement in monitoring online speech.

CISA, created in 2018 to safeguard infrastructure, quickly shifted its focus to policing election-related content. Documents obtained by America First Legal reveal that the agency flagged concerns about mail-in voting as “disinformation” in 2020, coordinating with Big Tech to suppress those discussions. Leaked messages also show CISA officials encouraging social media companies to become more “comfortable” with government involvement in content moderation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the administration is reviewing all aspects of CISA’s election-related work. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated during her Senate hearing that the agency had “strayed far off mission” and suggested that Congress consider reforms to limit its authority.

Corporate media outlets have responded by defending CISA’s role in policing online content. Politico claimed that Trump was “gutting cyber workers who combat disinformation,” while Wired argued that the administration was “accommodating Trump’s false claims.” VoteBeat reported concerns from election officials about how a reduced CISA role could affect election oversight.

One of President Donald Trump’s first actions upon returning to the White House was signing an executive order to “end federal censorship.” That order directed the Department of Justice to investigate government agencies, including CISA, for actions taken under the previous administration to suppress speech.

As scrutiny on CISA increases, some election officials have acknowledged that the agency is pivoting away from its previous role in monitoring online discussions. However, questions remain over how far the administration will go in reforming the agency’s authority.