Washington: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has placed a formal hold on the nomination of Sean Plankey, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), over what he describes as a “multi-year cover-up” of cybersecurity failures within the U.S. telecommunications sector.
In a statement released by his office on Wednesday, the Oregon Democrat said he would oppose any Senate consideration of Plankey’s nomination unless CISA releases a long-suppressed report detailing vulnerabilities in U.S. telecom networks, a report that reportedly dates back to 2022.
“CISA’s multi-year cover up of the phone companies’ negligent cybersecurity has real consequences,” Wyden’s remarks said. “Congress and the American people have a right to read this report.“
Senate rules allow a single senator to delay confirmation votes on executive branch nominees, even if the rest of the chamber supports the appointment. Lawmakers often use this mechanism, known as a “hold,” as leverage to extract transparency or concessions from the administration.
CISA referred all inquiries regarding the matter to the White House. However, neither the White House nor Plankey—nominated last month—responded to requests for comment.
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Wyden, a longtime privacy and cybersecurity advocate, has previously used similar tactics. In 2018, he successfully delayed the confirmation of Trump’s first CISA nominee, Chris Krebs, until the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agreed to release information about covert cellphone surveillance operations in Washington. The hold was lifted once DHS complied.
In his latest objection, Wyden emphasized that the report he seeks to release is unclassified and of critical relevance, especially in light of a recent series of cyber intrusions attributed to a Chinese state-backed group known as “Salt Typhoon”. According to Wyden and other experts, many of these breaches have been enabled by inadequate cybersecurity practices at major U.S. telecom companies.
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“CISA’s multi-year cover up of the phone companies’ negligent cybersecurity has real consequences,” Wyden reiterated. “Congress and the American people have a right to read this report.“
The mounting pressure from Wyden underscores the broader concerns in Congress over the resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure against foreign cyber threats, as well as the degree of transparency federal agencies are willing to exercise in disclosing known risks.
