Several technology-focused associations representing state and local officials are urging congressional appropriators to reinstate Federal funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which they said is a vital cybersecurity coordination hub relied upon by governments across the country.
In an Aug. 7 joint letter sent to top leaders on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, officials from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), National Association of Counties (NACo), United States Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and the Major County Sheriffs of America called the MS-ISAC indispensable and warned that eliminating its funding would leave communities exposed to growing cybersecurity threats.
MS-ISAC, which has operated since 2003 in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provides real-time threat intelligence, malware analysis, incident response support, and security tools to thousands of state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities.
The organization’s services are essential to protecting sensitive data and critical infrastructure – including schools, hospitals, utilities, and public safety systems, such as law enforcement and courts, the groups said.
The groups said that in 2024 alone, MS-ISAC helped detect more than 43,000 potential cyberattacks, prevented 59,000 malware or ransomware attacks, blocked 25 billion malicious connection attempts, and stopped over 5.4 million harmful emails.
The groups emphasized that some of those results outpace what commercial solutions can offer.
“Without federal funding, our members will be left to combat foreign cyber and multidimensional threats on their own,” the groups wrote.
“The loss of federal funding will create significant vulnerabilities for rural and small communities that often lack the resources to manage cybersecurity threats independently,” the groups said, adding, “It will lead to gaps in critical security services, making state and local governments more susceptible to cyberattacks, undermining public trust and safety.”
“In short, without MS-ISAC’s services, many of its members will not be able to maintain the security of their public services,” the groups said.
The letter was addressed to four key congressional leaders: Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chair of the House Appropriations Committee; Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee; and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
