Security Funding

• Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett met with lawmakers on Tuesday for a regular budget hearing on Capitol Hill to discuss security funding. • Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro used the occasion to advocate for a bill banning most gifts and the implementation of an enforcement mechanism for the Court's ethics rules. • Justice Kagan expressed support for an enforcement system but cautioned that creating one is difficult, as external imposition by Congress or the President could compromise judicial independence.

• Magnitude has officially emerged from stealth mode after securing $10 million in seed funding. • The company aims to redefine Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) by utilizing autonomous AI agents to streamline and enhance security processes. • This development matters as it introduces AI-driven automation to a critical area of cybersecurity, potentially reducing the manual burden of managing vendor risks.

• Policy makers are currently working to establish a coordinated AI-security regime focused on frontier models, critical infrastructure, and voluntary government reviews. • Simultaneously, cyber attackers are evolving their tactics by refining malware distribution and abusing familiar platforms to target ordinary users at scale. • This tension highlights a growing gap between high-level government security frameworks and the rapid proliferation of low-friction criminal tooling.

• XBOW, a leader in autonomous offensive security, raised $35 million in additional Series C financing with Samsung Ventures participating, announced on May 8, 2026. • Foley & Lardner LLP represented Samsung Ventures in the deal, bolstering XBOW's capabilities in AI-driven cybersecurity operations. • The funding arrives amid rising demand for advanced security tools, emphasizing the growing importance of autonomous systems in threat detection and response.

• Cogent Security, a vulnerability management developer, secured $42 million in Series A funding in February 2026 at a post-money valuation of $295 million. • Bain Capital Ventures led the round with participation from OpenAI, Datadog, and existing investor Greylock Partners, bringing the company's total capital raised to $53 million since its seed round. • The investment reflects growing enterprise demand for AI-powered vulnerability management tools as organizations prioritize cybersecurity infrastructure upgrades.

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill on Thursday, clearing the way to end a two‑month agency shutdown that had idled parts of federal immigration, border, and cybersecurity operations. • President Donald Trump signed the measure shortly after, restoring full funding for the Department of Homeland Security and averting potential disruptions to airport security, deportation operations, and border enforcement through the fiscal year. • The shutdown clash pitted Trump allies against centrist Republicans and Democrats over border enforcement levels, but the final bill preserved core Trump‑era border initiatives while softening some hard‑line spending demands.

• Israeli startup Capsule Security launched on April 15, 2026, with $7 million in funding to secure AI agents at runtime, founded by Naor Paz and Lidan Hazout. • The platform monitors AI agent actions in real time, enforces guardrails during the runtime gap between prompt and execution to prevent manipulation or data exfiltration. • Capsule disclosed two zero-day vulnerabilities in major agent platforms, highlighting risks in current AI security infrastructure.

• Alcatraz, a physical security startup founded by a former Apple Face ID engineer, completed a $50 million Series B funding round on April 13, 2026. • The company focuses on privacy-first artificial intelligence solutions for the physical security sector, leveraging expertise from its founder's background in biometric technology. • The funding reflects growing investor confidence in AI-powered security solutions and privacy-preserving technology approaches.

• French cybersecurity funding has undergone a structural shift driven by AI-powered threats, regulatory requirements, and U.S. expansion, with Q1 2026 alone surpassing all of 2025's funding activity. • The sector is emerging as a frontline investment priority, though a government report warns of a €3 billion funding gap over five years for breakthrough technologies needed for future defense. • The acceleration reflects growing global demand for advanced security solutions as AI capabilities reshape both offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies.

• Trent AI, a cybersecurity startup, launched on April 7, 2026, with $13 million in funding to address vulnerabilities in AI agents and their generated code. • The platform deploys four groups of AI agents: one to scan for exploits in code, tools, and infrastructure, and another to rank issues by severity, such as vulnerabilities in financial apps. • Unlike traditional tools designed for conventional software, Trent AI excels at spotting threats in AI workflows, like unnecessary access to sensitive databases.

• House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed Homeland Security funding bill Friday that would have reopened most DHS operations, extending the partial government shutdown into its 42nd day. • The Senate measure would fund the TSA and most of the Department of Homeland Security except ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, according to reporting on the congressional impasse. • Democratic leadership including Senate Minority Leader Jeffries urged immediate passage of the bipartisan bill at a press conference, stating "This could end, and should end, today."

House of Representatives still needs to act before funded agencies such as airport security can reopen, CNN reportsThe US Senate has passed legislation that will finance most of the Department of Homeland Security but withhold funds from ICE and part of Customs and Border Protection, the office of the Senate Democratic party leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement.The agreement would fund DHS components such as the Transportation Security Administration and US Coast Guard, the statement said. CNN reported that the House of Representatives will still need to act before funded agencies within the department can reopen. Continue reading...

• The House of Representatives returns Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with the Rules Committee preparing floor votes on bills addressing safety in Washington, D.C., Department of Homeland Security funding, and vessel security. • Speaker Johnson has no plans to bring a clean extension of FISA Section 702 to the floor this week, as the surveillance provision faces expiration in mid-April. • These votes occur amid ongoing bipartisan efforts in the House Financial Services Committee to initiate bicameral conference negotiations on differing housing bills between chambers.

• A late-night cloture vote on March 20, 2026, failed to advance the FY-2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, leaving TSA underfunded amid high travel volumes. • Daily TSA passenger throughput exceeds 2.4 million due to spring-break and March Madness demand, with missed connections at 8% versus a normal 1.6%, prompting three-hour early arrivals for domestic flights. • Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer plans a Saturday vote on a TSA-only continuing resolution, but GOP leaders signal they will block it, risking Easter travel chaos.

Senate Democrats sent counteroffer Monday aimed at resolving budget standoffSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxNegotiations for Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – which oversees airport security officers – remained ongoing as the airport in Atlanta, the world’s busiest, dealt with long security lines Tuesday.A White House official confirmed that Senate Democrats sent a counteroffer Monday aimed at resolving a budget standoff that led to a DHS shutdown into its second month. A Trump administration official confirmed to the Guardian that the offer by Democrats was under review, though Republican lawmakers were quick to dismiss the proposal. Continue reading...