Script to Bring to City Council Meetings RE: Cybersecurity contracts and CISA De-Funding

Over the past two decades, cyber security attacks have been increasing across the United States. In March 2026, Foster City, California was hit by a ransomware attack, which crippled the city's police and emergency services briefly and shut other services down for several consecutive days. (San Fransisco Chronicle). 

What's particularly concerning is that in 2025, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — the agency designed to help cities defend against such attacks — had its budget cut by almost $500 million. (Axios)  (Update: According to a Techcrunch article from April 7, 2026, the proposed 2027 budget includes an additional $700 million in cuts.)

As federal funding for cybersecurity declines, cities become more vulnerable to cyber threats, which drains financial resources from local communities. At the same time, private technology corporations can exploit these crises to sell costly “solutions,” a tactic describe in detail in Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine.

We must encourage our cities to become pro-active about cybersecurity in the face of federal funding cuts, to conduct thorough due diligence for private contractors and to absolutely refuse contracts with Palantir or any Thiel-backed company.

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Below is a template you can send by email or speak in person at your local city council meeting. Adapt as needed.

You can search for your reps from Federal to local level: here 

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Template:

Good [morning/evening]. My name is [Name] and I'm a resident of [City].

I'm here to talk about something that may not have hit the radar recently — but it’s important we get out in front of it.

In March, Foster City (in the Bay area of California) declared a state of emergency after a ransomware attack paralyzed nearly all city services for several consecutive days. And this is not an isolated incident. Municipal cyberattacks have increased across California and the country.

Meanwhile federal funding for cyber security has been cut at the time we need it most. 

Last year, the federal govt cut funding and fired leadership of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — CISA, which was specifically designed to help cities like ours defend against these kind of cyber attacks.

So what does this mean and what can we do?

What happens when the federal government defunds programs is that cities become vulnerable. And vulnerable cities become the easy prey of predatory private contractors who profit over people--something incredibly dangerous for such an essential public service

In particular, there is a private surveillance and data company, which you have likely heard of, called Palantir, that holds billions in federal contracts including for AI military infrastructure, and is actively expanding into municipal services. 

Its founder, Peter Thiel has publicly stated he does not believe in democracy. This is the same man has been going around the country, and now the world, giving speeches about the antichrist, who said might be Greta Thunberg the climate activist, at one point. The Vatican has intentionally distanced itself from him. This man has also been quoted in reputable news outlets saying that "date rape is belated regret," and that "women getting the right to vote was the worst thing to happen to our country."

I don’t have time to go into the specific implications of what contracts with Palantir or Peter Thiel means to community members… but suffice it to say:

But suffice it to say, if our city is ever approached by Palantir (or affiliated company, or any company backed by Peter Theil) to provide cybersecurity or any other municipal service, I am asking you to reject that contract. (This includes Flock cameras)

The solution to weakened federal cybersecurity funding is NOT handing our city's data and infrastructure to a private corporation with authoritarian ambitions.

The solution is demanding restored funding, at the federal and state level, investing in our own IT infrastructure, partnering with accountable public institutions and engaging in thorough due diligence of any private sector vendors.

Our city's data belongs to our residents. Not to shareholders. Not to surveillance companies.

Thank you.