Nearly 22 months have passed without a Senate‑confirmed director at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and President Donald Trump on Monday nominated Palantir’s chief information security officer, Michael LoSapio, to fill that vacancy.
Michael LoSapio’s Palantir résumé
According to his LinkedIn profile, LoSapio has served as Palantir’s chief information security officer since September 2024. Before becoming CISO he led the company’s infrastructure and network security group beginning in December 2017. His earlier work history includes roles as a systems engineer at Palantir from 2013 to 2016, more than a year at database company SingleStore, and systems‑engineering posts at New York University and Seton Hall University. LoSapio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nearly two years without a Senate‑confirmed CISA director
CISA has lacked a permanent, Senate‑confirmed director since Jen Easterly departed in January 2025. The agency has been led in an acting capacity by Nick Andersen since February after a series of incidents tied to the previous acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala. If confirmed, LoSapio would take over the federal government’s main civilian cyberdefense unit, which defends agency networks and partners with operators of water systems, power grids, telecommunications networks and other critical infrastructure to prevent and respond to attacks.
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Get a security leadSenate timing and the confirmation gauntlet
LoSapio’s nomination arrives against a crowded Senate calendar. Lawmakers are working to fund the government and approve defense legislation before the year ends, and the timetable raises a real possibility that consideration could spill into the next Congress. If the Senate does not confirm LoSapio before the current Congress adjourns, the president would need to renominate him for consideration by the incoming Democratic majority—an outcome the source says “could bring additional scrutiny” of his Palantir work.
The nomination follows an earlier unsuccessful effort to fill the post: President Trump’s prior nominee, Sean Plankey, withdrew in April after more than a year awaiting confirmation. Plankey’s nomination became entangled in a dispute with Sen. Rick Scott, R‑Fla., over Coast Guard contracting.
Questions from Sen. Ron Wyden and House Democrats over Palantir ties
LoSapio’s association with Palantir is likely to shape part of the political and oversight response. The report says Palantir’s government contracts and handling of sensitive information “have drawn questions from Democrats.” Sen. Ron Wyden, D‑Ore., is cited as planning to renew inquiries into the company’s work with the administration when he begins chairing the Senate Finance Committee and said lawmakers could compel answers if Palantir does not cooperate.
Democratic lawmakers have questioned whether Palantir’s work with the Department of Homeland Security enables government surveillance of Americans; Palantir has denied conducting or enabling mass surveillance. The source notes House Democrats have also pledged to investigate CISA’s workforce reductions and changes to its election security work.
CISA’s personnel cuts, refilling efforts, and strategy update
If confirmed, LoSapio would inherit an agency attempting to recover from workforce cuts that reduced staff by roughly a third since the president returned to office. The agency has moved to refill a few hundred positions. Last month, CISA released a strategy calling for a review of its services and for greater attention to infrastructure whose disruption “would cause the most harm to public safety, the economy and national security.”
What this means for technologists, policymakers, and infrastructure operators
- Technologists and security teams: Expect scrutiny of operational ties between CISA and private vendors tied to LoSapio’s background; the nomination could prompt deeper questions about how CISA contracts for and governs external security services.
- Policymakers and regulators: Senators and House Democrats who have signaled investigations—led publicly by Sen. Ron Wyden in the Senate Finance Committee—are likely to pursue documentation and testimony about Palantir contracts and CISA staffing decisions if LoSapio’s nomination proceeds or is resubmitted.
- Infrastructure operators (water, power, telecom): A confirmed director with deep private‑sector cyber experience would lead an agency that is simultaneously rebuilding staff and revising its service priorities; operators will watch closely how CISA’s strategy review affects assistance and information‑sharing priorities.
The nomination sets up a practical and political test: will the Senate find time to confirm a nominee who brings a high‑profile vendor background to the helm of an agency still refilling positions and reshaping its priorities? If not, the source makes clear, the next chapter could unfold under an incoming Democratic majority—and with renewed oversight demands on both LoSapio’s Palantir record and CISA’s post‑cut recovery.
