DHS pushed secret voting machine hack test after Trump return: Report

Political appointees at the US Department of Homeland Security pressed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to secretly acquire a voting machine and attempt to hack it shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, ProPublica reported on Monday. Two former administration officials told the outlet that CISA was to transmit its findings to the White House while concealing any discovered vulnerabilities from the equipment manufacturer, a departure from standard operating procedure.

Political interference concerns

Career staff viewed the request as a potential step toward political interference in electoral processes. One former official told the outlet that "my thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any (election) results they don’t like." The appointees sought to withhold discovered weaknesses from the machine's manufacturer, breaking from normal protocol.

Staffing shortages block effort

CISA employees repeatedly informed political leadership that the task could not be executed, largely because specialists capable of conducting such testing had been dismissed under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The appointees eventually abandoned the effort. Since Trump returned to office, more than 1,000 CISA employees have been laid off or pushed out, reducing the agency’s workforce by roughly a third.

State election offices left without support

Several state election offices reported receiving no assistance from CISA while preparing for upcoming midterm contests. "There is a difference between deprioritizing and being nonexistent," said Ryan Macias, an election security expert who has consulted for the agency. States also criticized the administration’s release of declassified 2020 election records containing sensitive information previously shared with CISA in confidence, saying the move damaged trust.

Erosion of trust

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told acting CISA Director Nick Andersen during an August call that he no longer trusted the agency. "What they’ve done is basically cut us off and left us on our own," Fontes said. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows described CISA’s Sept. 24 election security plan offer as coming "too little, too late." White House spokesperson Lauren Bis defended the administration, stating Trump "has done more than any other president to ensure we have free and fair elections." The president’s 2027 budget proposal seeks an additional $700 million reduction in CISA funding, which could mean 900 further job cuts.