US states urge Congress to renew cybersecurity grants
US states urge Congress to renew cybersecurity grants
https://iapp.org/news/a/us-states-urge-congress-to-renew-cybersecurity-grants
Publish Date: 2026-05-22 08:24:00
Source Domain: iapp.org
U.S. state cybersecurity officials warned lawmakers that with cyber threats targeting public infrastructure, Congress must renew the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and strengthen the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
During the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, officials from Florida, New York and Tennessee noted international digital threats, ransomware and AI-powered cyberattacks are overwhelming many states’ cybersecurity resources. They highlighted the importance of the SLCGP, indicating the USD1 billion initiative would help state governments strengthen cybersecurity defenses.
“If Congress doesn’t reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, the message will be reinforcing that you are on your own, and I find that to be unacceptable,” said U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill. “We have to change course, and we need to renew the state and local cybersecurity grant program, because that is a step in the right direction.”
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., also highlighted the proposed Protecting Information by Local Leaders for Agency Resilience Act, which would reauthorize the grant program while modifying aspects of its structure and oversight. Ogles said reauthorization “alone is not enough.”
“We have four years of program history now, and we owe it to taxpayers to ask whether the money is being spent well, whether the structure is right, and whether the outcomes match the investment,” he added.
State concerns
Tennessee Chief Information Officer Kristin Darby said the state has had an increase in cyberattacks using AI technology to breach individuals’ personal data.
“The pace of these threats continues to accelerate,” Darby said, pointing to how many local governments across Tennessee have limited resources to manage evolving threats, creating “a dangerous imbalance between highly sophisticated attackers and severely resource-constrained defenders.”
Tennessee’s cybersecurity efforts have engaged approximately 90,000…
