Over the past week, the headlines have been packed with stories regarding cabinet appointments and plans for a second term for President-elect Donald Trump.
For example, stories and interviews about what the incoming “border czar” Tom Homan plans to do to secure the southern border are widespread.
According to CNN, “details about how the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, will operate — and how Musk and his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy will avoid conflicts of interest — remain scarce. But the duo has spoken openly about areas of the government they’d like to see altered, while Trump and Republican lawmakers have a long list of programs and operations they’d like to reform.
“Musk also took aim at the Department of Education, a frequent target of Trump and Republicans, criticizing the agency for allegedly indoctrinating kids with left-wing propaganda and other failings. However, he did not call for its elimination during the town hall.
“Meanwhile, Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate who shifted his support to Trump, has been more specific about how he’d change the federal government.
“On the campaign trail, he said he would get rid of up to 75 percent of the federal workforce. About 2.3 million civilians are employed by the federal government, with nearly 60 percent working for the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.
“'Hordes of unelected bureaucrats stifle innovation and ignore the voted desires of the American people,' Ramaswamy wrote in a white paper.”
WHAT ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY?
President-elect Trump also announced that he is nominating South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. According to NPR, Trump said, "She will work closely with 'Border Czar' Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries." Homan is the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump loyalist Stephen Miller is expected to be deputy chief of staff and focus on immigration policy. Neither Miller nor Homan's positions require Senate confirmation.
CNN reported, “The department saw an immense amount of turmoil the last time Trump was in office. Then, DHS had five different leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees.
“Noem, who previously was a South Dakota representative, will now be tasked with overseeing a sprawling agency that oversees everything from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Secret Service.
“Although Noem does not represent a border state, she has a long history of taking hardline positions on immigration. As a candidate for Congress in 2010, she supported an ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Senate Republicans to thwart an Obama administration lawsuit challenging an Arizona immigration law. She also has called for punishment of Democratic-led ‘sanctuary cities’ that protected undocumented immigrants by not cooperating with federal agencies during Trump’s first term.”
As governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem pushed cybersecurity priorities with words such as these:
“The statistics are frightening. As South Dakotans, we treasure our way of life, including the freedoms and conveniences we have in an interconnected world. And our way of life must be protected. I am glad to report that South Dakota is leading the way in cybersecurity.
“State entities such as the Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Fusion Center and the Bureau of Information and Telecommunications (BIT) work daily with our federal partners to evaluate threats that affect South Dakotans and our businesses and ensure that information is properly disseminated. Locally, through our collaboration with the Office of Consumer Protection, we inform, alert, educate, and assist our citizens in all matters related to cybersecurity.
“But we need to think even bigger. When I first became governor, I said that I wanted to help bring the next big industry to our state. With the threats that our state and our nation face from cyber criminals, I know that cyber research is that industry. And we have a huge advantage over other states because we have Dakota State University (DSU).”
Governor Noem also called cybersecurity “South Dakota's Next Big Industry.”
South Dakota also launched a new Cybercrime Prevention Consortium this summer. “‘As cyber criminals increasingly target our local governments and essential services, the South Dakota Cybercrime Prevention Consortium is critical for South Dakota,’ said Dr. Ashley Podhradsky, vice president for research and economic development. ‘This partnership strengthens our defense against those who threaten our security and daily life. Together, we are building a safer, more secure future for every citizen in our state.’
“The South Dakota Cybercrime Prevention Consortium will capitalize on the purpose and strengths of each entity. DSU brings its academic and research capabilities, particularly with cybersecurity and digital forensics. The SDFC will serve as a sentinel to guard against cyber threats and ensure the digital safety of the region, with a focus on intelligence and cyber intelligence.”
And, according to the Wall Street Journal,“Trump’s Second Term Is Expected to Bring Big Change to Top U.S. Cyber Agency.”
“Republican lawmakers and Project 2025 have criticized the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for overreach.
“America’s primary federal agency for cybersecurity faces an uncertain future in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
“Trump’s expected turn to a business-friendly regulatory approach, and attacks from Republican lawmakers in recent years, might lead to changes in the focus and structure of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Any potential changes would come at a crucial time, as companies closely watch moves that could affect a coming, controversial CISA rule that would force critical infrastructure operators to report cyber attacks.”
TRUMP’S PLANS FOR DHS, CISA AND CYBERSECURITY OVERALL
According to Wired magazine, the nation will face “More Spyware, Fewer Rules: What Trump’s Return Means for US Cybersecurity. ”
“For American companies grousing about new cybersecurity rules, spyware firms eager to expand their global business, and hackers trying to break AI systems, Donald Trump’s second term as president will be a breath of fresh air.
“For nearly four years, President Joe Biden’s administration has tried to make powerful U.S. tech firms and infrastructure operators more responsible for the nation’s cybersecurity posture, as well as restrict the spread of spyware, apply guardrails to AI, and combat online misinformation. But when Trump takes office in January, he will almost certainly eliminate or significantly curtail those programs in favor of cyber strategies that benefit business interests, downplay human-rights concerns, and emphasize aggressive offense against the cyber armies of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. …”
“The incoming Trump administration is likely to scrap Biden’s ambitious effort to impose cyber regulations on sectors of U.S. infrastructure that currently lack meaningful digital-security safeguards. That effort has borne fruit with railroads, pipelines, and aviation but has hit hurdles in sectors like water and health care.”
Forbes offered this piece on the topic: “What Trump’s Second Presidency Means For AI, Cybersecurity And Crypto.”
“Since Trump’s last term, AI has surged forward, moving from hypothetical potential to real-world applications that are redefining entire industries. Trump’s campaign has already hinted at plans to review and potentially repeal the Biden administration’s sweeping AI Executive Order, which implemented AI development guidelines. The Trump administration believes that loosening regulatory constraints could unlock innovation — essential to compete in the escalating AI race with China.
“China currently holds a significant advantage, with around 38,000 AI patents compared to the U.S.'s 6,300. This gap underscores the urgent need for a U.S.-led AI revolution. Trump’s team suggests that strengthening the nation’s AI infrastructure and fostering an innovation-friendly environment is paramount for national security and economic dominance. Meanwhile, the AI Safety Institute, formed during Biden’s term, aims to balance innovation with strict regulatory safeguards. Trump’s policies will emphasize rapid AI advancement while exploring deregulation in areas where progress is being stymied by oversight. ...
“In an era when cyber threats loom large, cybersecurity remains not just a priority but an imperative. Critical infrastructure — ranging from transportation to power grids— faces increasing vulnerability, with digital attacks on the rise. During Trump’s previous term, he introduced a national cybersecurity strategy that set a course for modernizing government IT and fortifying defenses against malicious actors. …”
Nextgov asked this question: “Will cyber suffer under Trump’s goal to slash federal budgets?”
“President-elect Donald Trump’s push to trim federal budgets as part of his government waste-reduction agenda is sparking concerns that agencies may have fewer resources available for cybersecurity, potentially leaving federal networks vulnerable to nation-state hackers and cyber criminals.
“But others are confident that Trump's team — which was historically hawkish on cyber and national security matters during his first term — will still prioritize cybersecurity in critical areas and aim to preserve essential spending. …
“‘I think there’s an ancillary risk to the cybersecurity defenses of the [federal] enterprise, because that just tends to be a pot that people feel they can pull from without too many eyes noticing,’ said one former White House technology official who, like several others in this story, requested anonymity to speak openly about their views on how a second Trump administration might impact federal cyber spending.”
One more: Politico wrote that “Rand Paul has plans to kneecap the nation’s cyber agency.”
“The incoming chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee has pledged to severely cut the powers of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or eliminate it entirely.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Back in October 2024, Fast Company published this article about the work of current CISA Director Jen Easterly: “This agency is tasked with protecting elections from cyber attacks. If Trump wins, it could be in danger.”
But the reality is that we just do not know exactly what steps these new federal government leaders will take regarding homeland security, cybersecurity and infrastructure protection.
Some experts encourage readers to visit the Heritage Foundation and read what they say about cybersecurity.
And while there are some mentions of cybersecurity in Project 2025, President-elect Trump has said that this Heritage Foundation plan will not be his road map.
Final advice: Check back with “Lohrmann on Cybersecurity” for more on this important topic in the coming weeks, with further government and industry predictions for 2025 coming in late December.
