WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) led fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Representatives Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Dwight Evans (PA-03), and Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) in requesting key election cybersecurity information from Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Regional Director William J. Ryan.  

Houlahan and her colleagues warned about cyberattacks, ransomware, foreign influence operations, threats against election workers, physical security incidents, and the spread of misinformation, and asked Director Ryan how Pennsylvania elections administrators are prepared to protect against these threats.  

The lawmakers’ letter comes as CISA has been significantly undermined by the Trump Administration. Within months of taking office in 2025, the Administration had removed or forced out nearly a third of all CISA employees, with election security personnel facing the most drastic cuts. In April 2026, the White House proposed reducing CISA funding by $700 million and removing another 900 employees. These dramatic cuts to the CISA workforce pose a severe risk, weakening the agency at a time when public trust in elections is low and threats to electoral security are pervasive. 

“We recognize that Pennsylvania’s elections are administered by state and local officials, and we respect the Commonwealth’s authority and responsibility to conduct its elections,” wrote the lawmakers. “Our objective is to ensure that those officials have access to every appropriate federal resource available to protect Pennsylvania voters, election workers, and election infrastructure.” 

Director Ryan was asked to respond by September 25, 2026. The full letter can be found here. 

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