Warner Bill Would Restore Funding for MS-ISAC Cyber Program – MeriTalk

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is introducing legislation to restore federal funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), a cybersecurity information-sharing program that supports state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments.
The Guaranteeing Universal Access to Cybersecurity Act would provide $50 million for fiscal year 2027 and each year after to support the MS-ISAC. Warner said the program previously provided free cybersecurity resources and monitoring to 19,000 SLTT organizations and communities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pulled funding for MS-ISAC on Sept. 30, 2025. The service then transitioned to fee-based membership.
Warner said the end of federal support for MS-ISAC created new budget pressures for states, localities, tribes, and territories, and left many small and rural communities without affordable access to cybersecurity resources.
“Critical infrastructure owners, operators, law enforcement, and SLTT leaders are worried; they need CISA back to full strength, and soon,” Warner wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging the department to prioritize CISA and restore MS-ISAC funding.
The bill would direct the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to enter into an agreement with the Center for Internet Security, which operates MS-ISAC, to provide no-cost cybersecurity services, cyber threat intelligence collection and dissemination, and technical assistance to SLTT entities.
The legislation also would require CISA to conduct outreach to restore MS-ISAC membership for entities that left after federal funding ended, expand access to SLTT entities that were not previously members, and maintain data sharing with the FBI and other federal agencies.
Warner sent a separate letter to governors outlining cyber risks to critical infrastructure and steps state leaders can take to assess and reduce vulnerabilities.
The senator urged state leaders to convene regional working groups with critical infrastructure owners and operators, direct statewide critical infrastructure audits, increase engagement with fusion centers and other regional information-sharing organizations, identify under-resourced operators, and press for federal agencies to be properly resourced.
Warner did not specify when he plans to introduce the bill formally.
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