Trump pick to lead CISA withdraws nomination

President Trump’s pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has withdrawn his nomination after waiting more than a year for Senate confirmation.

An aide with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs told The Hill the committee is aware Sean Plankey requested his nomination be withdrawn but had not yet received the official withdrawal paperwork from the White House. 

Politico first reported his withdrawal. In a letter obtained by The New York Times, Plankey said it “has become clear the Senate will not confirm me,” after 13 months since his initial nomination.

“My wife and young family are owed greater certainty and work life balance from their husband and father,” Plankey wrote to the White House, according to a screenshot posted by the Times. “The Nation and Department of Homeland Security Secretary MarkWayne Mullin requires a confirmed Director of CISA without further delay.” 

“While I humbly request the removal of my nomination, I wholeheartedly support President Trump’s upcoming nomination for CISA,” he added. 

Plankey’s nomination process faced multiple setbacks over the past year, with multiple senators placing holds on his nomination. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) stalled Plankey’s nomination for more than a year over a Coast Guard shipbuilding contract. Plankey previously served as an adviser to then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristen Noem on the Coast Guard until last month. 

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) also previously held back on his nomination over concerns about disaster recovery funds.

Bridget Bean, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency official, served as acting director of CISA, before Madhu Gottumukkala, who has since become the department’s “director of strategic implementation.” Nick Anderson is now acting director of CISA. 

Bean told Politico in February she had serious concerns about the lack of a Senate-confirmed cyber leader, previously calling the agency a “hot mess.”Neither the White House nor CISA immediately responded to request for comment. 

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