Weekly Policy & Activities Report

General Overview

DHS Shutdown Now Active

DHS/CISA shut down Saturday morning after lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a funding package.

• CISA indicated that ~38% (888 of its 2,341) employees are “excepted” during a shutdown, allowing certain critical functions to continue.
• With both the Senate and House out this week, and many Democrats saying that they will not support a stopgap CR without ICE reforms, the timeline for resolution remains uncertain.
• NTSC members should expect a period of degraded — though not eliminated — federal cybersecurity support.
  • Advisory cadence, outreach, and non-emergency coordination are likely to slow first.
  • If a major cyber incident were to occur during the lapse, surge capacity and interagency coordination could be constrained.

Broader Cyber Environment Remains Elevated

At the Munich Security Conference, senior officials continued to frame cyber capabilities as instruments of national policy. Public commentary referenced cyber weapons development and imposing costs on malicious actors, reinforcing the normalization of cyber operations within geopolitical strategy.

This signals continued elevation in the threat environment. While no immediate legislative trigger emerged this week beyond the funding lapse, the geopolitical backdrop supports sustained investment in resilience, detection, and third-party risk management.

Operational Guidance Continues

• The FTC issued its second report to Congress on ransomware and other cyberattacks, and the SEC remained under oversight scrutiny in the Senate.
• Congressional engagement across AI and cybersecurity topics continues at a steady pace.
• CISA released practical guidance on securing OT communications and their 2025 Year in Review.
• NIST issued guidance on data classification practices.

Washington D.C. Mission

We are organizing a working session on the long-term stability of the CVE ecosystem with the White House, federal agencies, and lawmakers in both parties. Please email csullivan@ntsc.org if you or someone on your team are working in this area and might want to attend.

Mid-Atlantic Policy Roundtable | March 19 | Washington, D.C.

The agenda has been updated and registration is now open. Please share the updated agenda and registration link with your colleagues and invite at least one peer to attend. We look forward to welcoming you and your team.

NTSC Calendar

Please see NTSC Events for a full 2026 calendar. To see Executive Committee, Board, and Finance Committee meetings, turn off those filters using the password NTSC2026