President Donald Trump and his allies are now seeking to rebuild the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — the very agency his administration previously moved to gut — as concerns mount over AI-driven cyber threats ahead of the midterm elections, according to Politico.

"The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has been castigated by the Trump administration over its past efforts to call out election-related disinformation," the Wednesday Politico report noted. "But new fears about artificial intelligence-powered hacking and the security of the upcoming midterm elections have lifted the agency from exile."

CISA, created during Trump's first term under the 2018 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act, serves as the federal government's lead agency for protecting critical infrastructure and coordinating cyber defense across civilian networks.

Since Trump's return to the White House, CISA has faced what Politico described as a "torrent of punitive measures" from Republicans, driven largely by the president's animosity toward its former leadership. Former CISA Director Christopher Krebs publicly declared the 2020 presidential election the "most secure in American history," directly contradicting Trump's unsupported claims that widespread election fraud cost him the race.

Now, however, a shift is underway. According to Politico, "a growing number of Republicans are advocating for rehiring staff and restoring funding to the nation's cyber agency." GOP Reps. Andrew Garbarino of New York and Don Bacon of Nebraska, who both lead key House panels overseeing federal cyber policy, have spent recent months quietly persuading colleagues that CISA urgently requires additional resources. They cite the agency's critical role in safeguarding the electoral process as well as vital infrastructure such as water treatment plants and energy grids.

There are growing concerns that staffing and budget cuts have left CISA unable to adequately respond to emerging AI-driven cyberattacks targeting U.S. elections. The threat landscape has shifted rapidly, with U.S. intelligence agencies and private cybersecurity firms reporting a surge in AI-enabled intrusion attempts from state actors including China, Russia, and Iran.

"Unfortunately, I have colleagues that focus on the mis- and disinformation part of CISA, and that has turned them off to the entire agency," Garbarino said at the recent Homeland Security and Defense Forum. He added that China's AI capabilities are "starting to show other members" how vital the agency truly is.

Bacon argued that the initial Republican backlash against CISA was misguided. "I'm a big proponent of CISA. If you don't like what it's doing, get new leadership; don't fire a third of its people ... because they're the ones who defend our private sector, our energy grid and our elections," he said.

On the budget front, Politico reported that "the Trump administration initially requested around $2 billion for CISA in fiscal 2027, House lawmakers have boosted that number to $2.4 billion — and it could still increase as the appropriations process continues in the Senate." That figure remains below the nearly $3 billion CISA received annually under the Biden administration. Politico noted that these funds "will likely place CISA in a better position to help lead the administration's response to securing frontier AI models and fortifying the federal government against AI-powered cyberattacks — an issue that has overtaken Washington in recent months."