OLYMPIA—Secretary of State Steve Hobbs sent a letter to the Washington state congressional delegation, urging them to take immediate action and secure election security funding in the midst of looming federal budget cuts and funding freezes.
“While M25-13, which threatened ISAC funding, was quickly rescinded, a federal review of grants and financial support for ISACs remains ongoing,” Secretary Hobbs wrote in his letter. “The uncertainty surrounding ISAC funding for 2025 and beyond, coupled with proposed federal budget cuts, jeopardizes vital cybersecurity resources that help election officials nationwide combat cyber threats, including ransomware and foreign interference.”
Memorandum M-25-13, issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on January 27, 2025, was titled “Pause in Federal Financial Assistance.” It directed all federal agencies to temporarily halt any activities related to the obligation or disbursement of federal financial assistance. The memorandum was rescinded on January 29, 2025.
In 2022, the National Guard in cooperation with state governors activated approximately 100 personnel for state active duty to support officials in 14 states, including Washington, to protect election infrastructure against cyber threats.
The National Guard Cyber Force worked with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the same agency former Republican Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman accepted as an appointment with the Biden Administration in 2021 to serve as a Senior Election Security Advisor.
In 2024, led an awareness campaign against “AI deepfakes” on social media created by “bad actors” to spread misinformation during the Presidential election cycle.
Hobbs noted that the abrupted cancellation of CISA’s election security seminar at the National Association of Secretaries of State Winter Conference in Washington, D.C., left him “deeply concerned about the level of federal support and efforts to counter election disinformation we can expect moving forward.”
He called out the Trump administration’s action to place members of CISA on administrative leave at a time when threats, he claims, from cybercriminals and nation states to state and local elections grow.
“Just a week later, employees from CISA’s Election Security and Resilience Division, along with employees from the Foreign Influence Operations and Disinformation initiative within CISA, were placed on administrative leave without explanation,” Hobbs wrote.
Speaking from his State Capitol office in Olympia on Wednesday, Hobbs urged the state legislature to fill in budget gaps to fund key election security programs, including voter education efforts designed to strengthen public trust.
“Election security is not a partisan issue,” Hobbs said. “Both Democratic and Republican secretaries of state have raised concerns over these sudden federal changes. Every elected leader — from city councils to the presidency — depends on a fair, free, and secure election process.”
He added, “The threats to our elections are real and growing. This is not the time to weaken our defenses. Now more than ever, we must work together to ensure our elections remain safe, resilient, and worthy of the public’s trust.”
Author: Mario Lotmore
