DHS chief says president has met with potential CISA nominee; agency plans to hire 600

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Congress that CISA has been constrained without a Senate‑confirmed director and needs roughly 600 new hires to rebuild capacity after prior cuts; he emphasized prioritizing skilled personnel, concerns about Chinese cyber and data privacy threats, and the department’s investment in counter‑drone technology and AI to address gaps in the system.