Schumer Presses DHS for Frontier AI Cyber Response Plan for SLTT Governments

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is pressing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for details on how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will coordinate cybersecurity preparedness for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments as advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities accelerate threats. 

In a letter to Mullin sent May 7, Schumer noted that recent developments in powerful AI models – such as Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5-Cyber – will require federal planning to address frontier AI-enabled hacking.  

The letter comes as DHS continues to face scrutiny over the suspension of funding for the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which historically served as a key cyber threat intelligence-sharing hub for SLTT governments. DHS ended funding for the center on Sept. 30, 2025, as part of an effort to restructure the program. 

“Given the monumental changes quickly coming to cybersecurity as the result of frontier AI, and the need for organizations to be able to perceive and contextualize risks earlier than ever before, there could not be a worse time to undercut proven, longstanding MS-ISAC processes, procedures, and resources for sharing cyberthreat intelligence with SLTTs,” Schumer wrote to Mullin. 

The senator cited estimates from researchers that advanced AI models capable of identifying software vulnerabilities could become broadly available within six to 12 months. While those tools may help defenders identify and remediate vulnerabilities faster, Schumer warned that malicious actors are likely to use the same capabilities to accelerate cyberattacks against SLTT systems. 

“This is a race between cybersecurity defenders and AI-enabled hacking – and there’s no time to waste,” Schumer said. 

Schumer asked Mullin to provide Congress with DHS’s plan for coordinating a national response to frontier AI-enabled hacking by July 1. 

Specifically, the senator requested details on how DHS will coordinate with SLTT governments and private sector vendors over the next six to 12 months, share real-time cyber threat information, ensure remediation guidance reaches the appropriate system owners and operators, and facilitate rapid patching of vulnerable systems. 

The letter also asks how DHS plans to provide SLTT governments and industry partners with access to secure testing and evaluation environments, and how the department will support AI cybersecurity workforce development and training efforts. 

The request follows a broader debate over how aggressively the federal government should oversee advanced AI systems. 

Last week, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the White House is considering an executive order that would establish a process for evaluating frontier AI model safety before public release, comparing the concept to Food and Drug Administration oversight of pharmaceuticals. 

That discussion followed Anthropic’s limited release of its Mythos model to select organizations due to concerns about the model’s ability to identify and potentially exploit software vulnerabilities. 

At the same time, White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks recently said on the “All-In Podcast” that the administration does not support creating an “FDA for AI,” instead favoring public-private partnerships to address AI security and governance concerns.  

In his letter to Mullin, Schumer said that while there has been “promising collaboration,” such as through Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, efforts must include SLTT governments.  

“While the White House has reportedly begun hosting meetings about its internal security priorities following these frontier AI cyber breakthroughs, it is glaringly obvious that … [DHS] needs an updated plan,” Schumer wrote.