NACo sends letter to Capitol Hill urging restoration of MS-ISAC funding

Key Takeaways

On August 7, NACo sent a letter to congressional appropriations leadership urging federal funding for the Multi State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). This letter, sent in collaboration with the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and the Major County Sheriffs of America stresses the importance of the program in strengthening local cybersecurity readiness, and urges congressional leaders to include MS-ISAC in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 federal appropriations process. 

Read the letter here

What is the MS-ISAC? 

Since 2003, the MS-ISAC has provided no-cost and low-cost cyber threat prevention, protection, response and recovery for state and local governments. These programs have been particularly important for rural and small communities that often lack the resources to manage cybersecurity threats independently. Funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and reinforced by the State and Local Cybersecurity Act, the MS-ISAC has provided more than 17,000 state, local, tribal and territorial entities (SLTT) with critical cybersecurity tools. 

 In 2024 alone, the MS-ISAC services helped local governments: 

• Detect more than 43,000 potential cyberattacks to SLTT networks and escalate them to affected organizations 97 percent faster than commercial alternatives
• Identify and prevent more than 59,000 potential malware and ransomware attacks to SLTT endpoints, like workstations and servers
• Prevent 25 billion connections to malicious sites online, each a potential starting point for a cyberattack
• Block 5.4 million known malicious or suspicious emails

What is the state of the MS-ISAC? 

On March 11, DHS announced a $10 million funding cut to the MS-ISAC, representing half of the program’s funding. This cut severely limited the ability of the MS-ISAC to deliver critical services and jeopardizes the program’s future. Absent a restoration of funding at the federal level, the MS-ISAC will convert to a paid membership model beginning at the end of September. NACo urges Congress to include the MS-ISAC in their FY 2026 discretionary appropriations bills.