19 months after Trump made Sean Plankey his first nomination for CISA's Director, Palantir’s Michael LoSapio has become the new nominee for the role.
On November 9th, 2026, US President Donald Trump nominated New Jersey’s Michael LoSapio to direct the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, (CISA). The nomination is not the first for the top CISA leadership position since Trump took office for the second time. Back in March 2025, Sean Plankey was nominated to direct the agency. The choice was even commended by previous CISA director Jen Easterly, who posted that Plankey would “bring great cyber expertise, private sector creds, a warrior spirit, and steady leadership to Team CISA.” Despite this praise from the previous administration, Plankey’s nomination faced a number of hurdles.
The aftermath of the Salt Typhoon Hack - a monumental cyber campaign that targeted US telecommunications firms and the cellular metadata of “nearly all Americans” - was a primary obstacle to Plankey’s confirmation. About four weeks after Plankey was nominated, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden (D) blocked his nomination to pressure CISA to release an unclassified 2022 report on security issues in America’s telecommunications companies, a report that hadn’t been released to the public even during Easterly’s time in the office. Three months later, near the end of July 2025, Plankey met with the Senate for a committee hearing. The meeting reportedly went well, but this did not remove Wyden’s block.
Sean Plankey’s position continued to hang in limbo for months, only coming to an end this April, when he withdrew the nomination as “it has become clear the Senate will not confirm me”. The decision came 13 months after Trump’s recommendation, and one month after an investigation was initiated into Plankey’s time as a Coast Guard, where he simultaneously worked as a Senior Consultant at Pratus - potentially allowing for an “impermissible financial benefit to any of the individuals involved in the contracting and procurement decisions”. While it’s not clear if the investigation led to Plankey’s choice to withdraw, it likely didn’t appear as an encouraging sign after over a year-long deadlock.
This year’s nomination, 19 months after the original, goes to Michael LoSapio, the chief information security officer of Palantir. Palantir has already established close ties with the US government. In 2025, Palantir signed a $10 billion contract with the U.S. Army, to develop a “comprehensive framework for the Army’s future software and data needs”, which aligns with the US goals for artificial intelligence. Trump’s Cyber Strategy, released in March 2026, listed “Sustain Superiority in Critical and Emerging Technologies” as a policy pillar, prioritizes AI innovation. Alex Karp, the co-founder and CEO of Palantir, has also argued that the US needs to advance faster in AI to protect the US (specifically Trump’s) interests. Palantir’s work as a data processor has previously triggered concern about surveillance and privacy, considering the Trump administration’s goal to “eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across all agencies to increase government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars.” Palantir responded then by clarifying that they “act as a data processor, not a data controller.”
While LoSapio’s background may cause some criticism ahead of his hearing, at least one member of the committee, Rep Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), believes that LoSapio stands as a good candidate for the role: “I look forward to further reviewing the qualifications of Micahel LoSapio and urge the Senate to do so with the necessary urgency”. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) also spoke on the nomination with a bit more caution, saying that the nominee needs to “demonstrate that he possesses the independent judgment and qualifications to decisively place national security and the national interest above political pressure”.
The nomination comes at an interesting time for both Congress and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. On top of operating without a Congress-confirmed Director, CISA weathered significant and repeated staff cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in 2025, leading to nearly a third of the agency workforce (around 1,000) leaving. The agency also experienced a months-long data leak of key credentials on GitHub in 2026, a breach that was called “the worst leak I’ve witnessed in my career” by one cybersecurity expert. The current Acting Director, Nick Andersen, has led CISA since February, and is reportedly “widely seen as an effective leader and is well-liked.” Reuters also reported a message from A former government cybersecurity official, who noted that the timing with the midterm elections only complicated matters, “with the nomination coming out right at the beginning of the lame duck [session] and exactly at the same time as Nick Andersen needed this to happen in order to remain Acting Director.”
The midterm elections, which gave Democrats majorities in the House and Senate, may also spell more change for CISA. Several congress members, whose positions are changing with the changing political demographics, have voiced support for CISA funding to complete their security goals. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) referenced impactful hacks - like Salt Typhoon - when addressing the “deeply vulnerable” state of critical infrastructure: “... AI tools will accelerate the speed and scale with which bad actors can disrupt our lives and our national security. That is why cyber will remain a priority for me as we enter the new Congress and it is why I believe it is critically important we provide our government and the private sector the tools necessary – like CISA 2015 and MS-ISAC funding – to mitigate these cyber risks.”
Preparedness for AI threats was also a goal for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who shared her homeland security priorities: “That work involves protecting against terrorism and fentanyl trafficking, but it also includes guarding against emerging threats like artificial intelligence security risks and strengthening our cybersecurity. The Trump-Vance Administration has undermined our security on these fronts, including by diverting resources away from combatting fentanyl trafficking and gutting CISA. We need to reverse these cuts, confront these challenges, and put public safety first.” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), also plans to reverse the changes to CISA: “First and foremost, we will aim to work with CISA to expedite its critical re-staffing effort and to ensure it has the expertise necessary to support stakeholders as they defend against the scale and velocity of AI-enabled cyber-attacks. Advances in AI can help defenders, but it will also accelerate the consequences of deferred investments in security and CISA must be well-positioned to help critical infrastructure owners and operators rapidly improve their cybersecurity posture.”
Michael LoSapio’s decades of experience with Palantir likely gives him more AI familiarity than any other CISA Director. Even outside of the government, others are weighing how this exposure with AI might impact his ability to lead CISA. The vice president of AI Security at the SANS Institute, Chris Cochran commented: “There’s a big difference between securing a company that builds AI-powered technology and understanding how to defend against AI-driven threats… What I’ll be watching for is whether he can bridge that gap, particularly as we move toward autonomous attacks, AI agents, and adversaries operating at machine speed.” LoSapio’s hearing - scheduled for next Thursday, November 19th, is quickly approaching. If he is confirmed, officials in and out of politics will be looking closely to see what he does at the helm of the nation’s top cyber agency.