"At this point in time, I am asking the President to remove my nomination from consideration," Sean Plankey wrote.
Sean Plankey’s formal withdrawal and what he said
Sean Plankey, the long-sidelined nominee to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday to withdraw his nomination, according to a notification letter seen by CyberScoop. Plankey wrote that “after thirteen months since my initial nomination, it has become clear that the Senate will not confirm me.”
In the same letter Plankey stressed support for the department’s leadership and the administration’s next steps: “The Nation and Department of Homeland Security Secretary MarkWayne Mullin requires a confirmed director of CISA without further delay,” he wrote, and he added explicit thanks to President Trump. Plankey also told CyberScoop he had discussed withdrawing his nomination with Secretary MarkWayne Mullin, described his relationship with Mullin as “positive,” and said he supported Mullin’s leadership of DHS. He called current acting director Nick Andersen “one of the most competent cybersecurity people in the country.”
CyberScoop reported seeing the withdrawal letter; Politico first reported Plankey’s request publicly. When asked for comment, a DHS spokesperson said the department does not comment on personnel matters. The White House and CISA did not respond to an official request for comment, CyberScoop reported.
How the nomination stalled: holds, a surprise renomination, and competing grievances
Plankey’s nomination had been widely seen as stalled by the end of the previous year, and his renomination earlier in 2026 “caught many by surprise,” according to reporting cited by CyberScoop. CBS reported that the paperwork filing for his renomination was an accident; the White House denied that characterization. Numerous senators had placed holds on Plankey’s nomination, including GOP senators who tied their objections to matters unrelated to cybersecurity.
Most prominently, Sen. Rick Scott, R‑Fla., had placed a hold on Plankey’s nomination over a Coast Guard contract with a Florida company that the Department of Homeland Security had partially canceled. Plankey had served as an adviser to then‑DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Coast Guard matters, and he retired from the Coast Guard last month.
CISA leadership turnover: Bean, Gottumukkala, Andersen
Plankey’s withdrawal comes against a backdrop of repeated leadership changes at CISA. While Plankey awaited confirmation, Bridget Bean, then Madhu Gottumukkala, served as acting director. Gottumukkala recently left that position for another role at DHS “amid widespread complaints about his leadership,” CyberScoop reported. Nick Andersen is currently serving as acting director.
Plankey’s public comments praising Andersen underscore the immediate reliance on an acting director to steer the agency while CISA waits for a Senate‑confirmed leader.
Budget and personnel context under the Trump administration
CyberScoop’s reporting places the withdrawal within a larger pattern of change at the agency: “Trump has dramatically cut personnel and budget at CISA, with many top officials pushed out or otherwise departing,” the piece states. The administration has proposed deeper budget cuts still for fiscal year 2027. Those financial and staffing shifts have added to the operational and leadership challenges CISA faces while it remains without a confirmed director.
Plankey explicitly framed his withdrawal as a move to allow the department to secure a confirmed director without further delay and said he “wholeheartedly support[s] President Trump’s upcoming nomination for CISA.”
How this matters for MarkWayne Mullin, Nick Andersen, and cybersecurity teams
- MarkWayne Mullin — As the confirmed secretary of DHS, Mullin now faces continued responsibility for a CISA operating without a Senate‑confirmed director; Plankey wrote that Mullin “requires a confirmed director of CISA without further delay,” signaling internal expectations for a prompt new nomination.
- Nick Andersen — The acting director will continue to lead CISA day‑to‑day. Plankey’s public endorsement calling Andersen among the most competent cybersecurity people in the country places pressure on the agency’s interim leadership to maintain stability amid persistent turnover.
- Cybersecurity teams and practitioners — With documented budget and personnel reductions at CISA and recent leadership churn, teams that rely on CISA for guidance and coordination face continued uncertainty about long‑term policy direction and resourcing.
Plankey’s withdrawal leaves CISA in another cycle of interim leadership and raises a pointed question the public record now presents: will the administration’s upcoming nominee secure Senate confirmation quickly enough to stabilize an agency that, by CyberScoop’s account, has already experienced dramatic cuts and frequent leadership changes? The answer will shape who leads CISA through the next round of budget and operational decisions.
