CESER chief touts AI projects as congressional Dems point to federal cuts

At a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, DOE CESER acting director Alex Fitzsimmons endorsed bills to bolster energy-sector cybersecurity—including rural utility grants, public-private information sharing, and state-level resilience planning—while highlighting the AI-FORTS initiative to apply AI for defensive cyber tools and active defense across critical energy infrastructure, with focus on assets supporting military operations. Democratic members pressed the administration on the cybersecurity and reliability implications of large-scale DOE staff cuts and delayed grants. Volt Typhoon received brief mention amid concerns over supply-chain risks and preparedness for cyber incidents coinciding with geopolitical crises and severe weather, as CESER conducts exercises and continuous testing of deployed systems.