Internal pushback halts CIO reassignment effort at CISA

Madhu Gottumukkala, acting head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, encountered objections last week after pursuing the removal of CIO Robert Costello, TechRepublic reports.

The situation unfolded during a period of strain for CISA, which has been dealing with persistent threats to federal networks and critical infrastructure alongside internal turnover and closer scrutiny of leadership decisions, according to a Politico report. Officials said the attempted reassignment of Costello, carried out through a management-directed process that can give an employee the choice to move elsewhere in DHS or resign, caught both career staff and senior political appointees off guard.

The move drew sharp objections from within DHS, prompting headquarters to pause and then halt the action the same day. The episode added to internal concerns about decision-making under Gottumukkala, who has already faced criticism in recent weeks over other personnel actions. CISA said senior staffing decisions are handled at the highest levels of DHS and are not made independently, though officials described the effort as sudden and poorly coordinated, increasing unease about leadership stability.