Since 2018, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has provided training and support for state elections officials to fight election interference.

But when Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows reached out last year ahead of its local elections, she said the agency was “suddenly unavailable.”

That’s because the Trump administration has dramatically reduced the agency, cutting its budget and a third of its staff, and freezing contracts. 

“We were on our own,” Bellows said. “We have received zero guidance from the feds about CISA’s role in providing election security to the states.”

With the midterms coming up in November, state elections officials say that they are having to prepare for potential problems without as much federal assistance as they have had in the recent past, and that they are suspicious of the help that CISA may offer.

“There is a high level of distrust with what should be federal partners with state election officials,” an aide to a Republican secretary of state, who was granted anonymity to speak freely without fear of retaliation, told MS NOW.

The FBI has invited the chief elections officials of all 50 states to a phone call next week on preparations for the midterms.

When asked for comment, CISA said it is still offering “threat intelligence, expertise, no-cost tools and resources” to elections officials. 

“Any claims that CISA is not communicating with our state and local partners is false,” a spokesperson told MS NOW.

Read Julia Jester’s analysis here.

Democrats in Virginia advanced a new congressional map that would cut the number of competitive Republican districts from five to one, as the party seeks to counter a GOP push to draw more seats in Republican-run states.

Here are some highlights of the president’s actions over the last seven days:

The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is Republican Rep. Don Bacon.

For much of his first year, Trump enjoyed unanimous support on any substantive issues in Congress, but cracks have been forming in that wall lately. First, six House Republicans joined Democrats on a vote to terminate the national emergency declaration that Trump has used to justify sweeping tariffs. Then one of the six — Bacon, a moderate who represents part of Omaha — broke ranks on an even bigger issue, becoming the first Republican to back a Democratic-proposed constitutional amendment to limit the president’s pardon power. Under the amendment, Congress would have the right to initiate a review process for presidential pardons. The support is mostly symbolic, however, as an amendment would need a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate to pass out of Congress. 

This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace speaks with host of “The Prof G Pod” Scott Galloway to break down how consumer spending is a potent weapon for the millions of Americans eager to stand up for our nation’s values. Subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content.