White House Lists Cybersecurity Project Priorities for FY 2026 Budget

The White House has issued a memorandum outlining to heads of executive departments and federal agencies the Biden administration’s cross-agency cybersecurity investment priorities for the fiscal year 2026 budget. 

The directive, which was released on Wednesday, identifies the budgeting focus from the five pillars of President Joe Biden’s National Cybersecurity Strategy. One of the budget priorities calls for investments to mature zero trust architectures, for which agencies need to submit an updated implementation plan to the Office of Management and Budget within 120 days after the memo’s release, CyberScoop reported Thursday.

The memo, signed by OMB Director Shalanda Young and National Cyber Director Harry Coker, also calls on agencies to allot funding to ensure the security of the open-source software that they use, while also providing for their maintenance and improvement.

In addition, the White House memo directs agencies with federated networks to prioritize investments in department-wide, enterprise solutions, further aligning cybersecurity efforts, ensuring consistency across mission areas and enabling sharing of information.

Workforce development is another focus area under the memo, which urges agencies to budget investments in the adoption of skills-based best practices.