CISA internships cancelled, workers recalled
CISA cancelled CyberCorps internships amid a funding shutdown and also recalled furloughed workers to report despite the lapse, highlighting operational strain in federal cyber programmes. Those personnel moves signal recruitment and capacity pressures inside government cybersecurity functions. (federalnewsnetwork.com, bankinfosecurity.com)
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has canceled this summer’s CyberCorps internships and ordered furloughed staff back to work during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. (federalnewsnetwork.com, bankinfosecurity.com) Federal News Network reported on April 15 that the agency told students in the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program it would not hire interns for summer 2026 after earlier advertising 100 positions. CISA’s own recruitment page for the 2026 program still says it is offering “100 new summer” internship roles. (federalnewsnetwork.com, cisa.gov) BankInfoSecurity reported on April 14 that CISA also told furloughed employees to report to work despite the funding lapse. A broader Department of Homeland Security recall order covered “all DHS employees, excepted and non-excepted,” according to reporting by BankInfoSecurity and Federal News Network. (bankinfosecurity.com, federalnewsnetwork.com) CyberCorps is the federal scholarship program that pays students’ tuition in exchange for government cybersecurity service after graduation. The internship piece matters because it is one of the main ways scholars turn a classroom obligation into an agency job. (cisa.gov, federalnewsnetwork.com) The shutdown has already strained CISA’s staffing model for weeks. Nextgov/FCW reported in February that acting director Madhu Gottumukkala told House appropriators a majority of the agency would be furloughed, while Federal News Network later reported about 800 employees, roughly 40% of staff, were excepted and kept working unpaid. (nextgov.com, federalnewsnetwork.com) The internship cancellation lands after months of disruption for the same talent pipeline. Federal News Network reported last week that CyberCorps graduates have struggled to secure federal placements since the start of the Trump administration, and MeriTalk reported in November that the Office of Personnel Management and National Science Foundation granted a “mass deferment” of job obligations during the shutdown. (federalnewsnetwork.com, meritalk.com) CyberScoop reported that students were told the internships were canceled because of funding issues at the Department of Homeland Security. Federal News Network said the move is the second straight setback for scholars who had already spent months dealing with uncertainty about whether government jobs would materialize. (cyberscoop.com, federalnewsnetwork.com) Department of Homeland Security leaders have framed the recall as a way to restore operations while Congress remains deadlocked. CBS News and USA Today reported that the department said it would use available funding after an April 3 White House order tied to employee pay and benefits during the partial shutdown. (cbsnews.com, usatoday.com) For students and staff, the result is a split-screen: one part of the agency is being pulled back onto the job, while one of its clearest entry paths for new cyber hires has been shut for the summer. (bankinfosecurity.com, federalnewsnetwork.com)
