A panel of expert witnesses at a House Energy and Commerce hearing unanimously warned that the Trump administration’s cuts to grid-resiliency programs and layoffs of federal cybersecurity staff are undermining the reliability of the nation’s power system.
Pressed by Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.), the five witnesses — nearly all of whom were invited by committee Republicans — agreed that the White House’s decision to cancel $5.6 billion in grid-resilience grants from two Inflation Reduction Act programs, along with the firing of workers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, would weaken U.S. grid security.
Democrats, emboldened by the panel’s comments, argued those actions have left critical grid infrastructure increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks and extreme weather. They sharply criticized Republicans on the committee for remaining silent.
“You understand the challenge that we feel here on this side, right?” Menendez asked the experts. “We can diagnose the problem ad nauseam, but we have Republican colleagues who refuse to lift their voices when the Trump administration is cutting $5.6 billion in funds, when they’re cutting CISA.”
