Trump pulls US out of international cyber orgs

Summary

The Daily Scoop Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Trump pulls US out of international cyber orgs
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Billy Mitchell

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Scoop Podcast covers two critical topics for government leaders and technology policy watchers:

• President Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from several key international cybersecurity organizations.
• The latest push in the Senate to reauthorize vital quantum research funding through the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Withdrawal from International Cybersecurity Organizations

(Main Segment: 00:10–02:30)

• Withdrawal Details:
  The Trump administration is pulling the U.S. out of several international bodies focused on cybersecurity, including:

  • The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE)
  • The Online Freedom Coalition
  • The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats

• Scope of Withdrawals:
  This is part of a larger move disengaging from 66 international organizations, signaling a broad retreat from multilateral cooperation.

• Motivations Cited by Administration:
  The move aligns with President Trump’s generally critical stance toward international institutions.

  "The Trump administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms and general prosperity."
  —Secretary of State Marco Rubio (01:09)

• Rubio’s Criticisms:
  Rubio specifically called out what he sees as problematic priorities in these organizations:

  • DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) mandates
  • Gender equity campaigns
  • Activities that may constrain American sovereignty

• Potential Risks Highlighted:
  The host notes that critics fear this retreat could create a "leadership power vacuum for U.S. adversaries to fill" (00:44).

• Role of Cyber Organizations:
  GFCE, for example, engaged in:

  • Critical infrastructure protection
  • Cybercrime policy
  • Emerging tech policy
  • Fostering public-private international cooperation (members include Interpol, Hewlett Packard, Mastercard, Palo Alto Networks)

• Debate on Values:
  The GFCE promotes gender inclusivity, recognizing it as "a cross cutting issue with direct relevance to achieving international peace and security" (02:29).

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2. Quantum Initiative Reauthorization in the Senate

(Segment: 02:32–03:43)

• Legislation Status:
  The National Quantum Initiative is up for reauthorization after lapsing in September 2023. The bipartisan bill is being re-introduced by:

  • Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
  • Senator Todd Young (R-IN)

• Proposed Funding:

  • $85 million/year for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • $25 million/year for NASA
  • Key roles also for NSF and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

• Legislative History:

  • Previous reauthorization attempts stalled in Congress; the last effort in the Senate didn’t exit committee, and a House bill passed committee but didn’t get a floor vote.

• Importance and Impact:
  Quantum computing is described as both a high-stakes opportunity and a challenge, especially for cybersecurity threats and innovations.

  "Quantum continues to be a promising and globally competitive area for R&D as researchers work toward advancements in quantum computing. Once fully realized, quantum computing poses potential for both major advancement and challenges for cybersecurity." (03:11)

• Background on the Initiative:
  The initial Quantum Initiative (2018) marked a bipartisan recognition that the U.S. needed a coordinated national R&D strategy across government and the private sector.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On International Withdrawal:

  "Critics fear [Trump’s policy] creates a leadership power vacuum for U.S. adversaries to fill."
  —Billy Mitchell (00:44)

• Secretary Rubio’s Statement:

  "... redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms and general prosperity."
  —Marco Rubio, cited by Billy Mitchell (01:09)

• On Quantum Computing:

  "[Quantum is a] promising and globally competitive area for R&D ... poses potential for both major advancement and challenges for cybersecurity."
  —Billy Mitchell (03:11)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02–00:09 — Episode introduction by Billy Mitchell
• 00:10–02:30 — U.S. withdrawal from international cyber organizations, key perspectives, Secretary of State’s statement
• 02:31–03:43 — National Quantum Initiative reauthorization efforts in the Senate, funding details, and stakes for technology policy

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Tone & Style

The host maintains a concise, fact-based, and serious tone appropriate for a policy- and government-focused listenership, directly quoting officials and contextualizing with plain explanations.

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Summary prepared for listeners who want the essential policy developments and implications, succinctly covered in this episode of The Daily Scoop Podcast.

Transcript

[A]

Today on the Daily Scoop Podcast from the Scoop News Group, President Trump pulls the US out of international cyber organizations and the Quantum Initiative reauthorization gets a reboot in the senate. It's Friday, January 9, 2026. Welcome to the Daily Scoop Podcast where you'll hear the latest news and trends facing government leaders. I'm the host of the Daily Scoop Podcast, Billy Mitchell. Thanks so much for joining me. And now let's dive into the day's top headlines. The Trump administration is withdrawing the United States from a handful of international organizations that work to strengthen cybersecurity as part of a broader pullback from 66 international organizations. The administration is leaving the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise, the Online Freedom Coalition and the European center of Excellence for countering hybrid threats. Trump's decision is in line with the president, who has expressed hostility toward the existing international order, an approach critics fear creates a leadership power vacuum for US Adversaries to fill. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Thursday that, quote, the Trump administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms and general prosperity. Rubio criticized the international organizations over DEI mandates, gender equity campaigns and activities that constrain American sovereignty. The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise works on issues such as critical infrastructure protection, cybercrime, cyber skills and policy, and emerging technology, and its members include nations and government organizations like Interpolation, but also tech companies like Hewlett Packard, mastercard and Palo Alto Networks. The Forum says it supports gender inclusivity, asserting that gender is a cross cutting issue with direct relevance to achieving international peace and security. In other news, the National Quantum Initiative has another chance at reauthorization under the latest iteration of a bipartisan legislation introduced Thursday. Senators Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, and Todd Young, Republican of Indiana, are again sponsoring a bill that would authorize new funding to support quantum research and development at federal science agencies after aspects of the program lapsed in September of 2023. The National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization act would provide support for five more years of the coordinated efforts at agencies, including $85 million per year for the National Institute of Standards and technology and $25 million per year for NASA. The National Science foundation and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy would also play key roles. Introduction of the new legislation comes after past attempts at reauthorization failed to pass Congress. The previous Senate reauthorization introduced in 2024 didn't advance out of committee, and a House bill from 2023 was unanimously approved by committee but later stalled. Quantum continues to be a promising and globally competitive area for R and D as researchers work toward advancements in quantum computing. Once fully realized, quantum computing poses potential for both major advancement and and challenges for cybersecurity. The initial establishment of the National Quantum initiative in 2018 was bipartisan recognition that the US needed its own cross government strategy to coordinate R and D efforts in the public and private sectors. For more news at the intersection of the federal government and technology, make sure to visit fedscoop.com thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of the.

[B]

Daily Scoop Podcast, available on all podcast platforms. If you've already rated the podcast on your platform of choice, thanks so much. High ratings and good reviews of the show help more people to find it. The Daily Scoop Podcast is a production of the Scoop News Group in Washington, dc.

[A]

Adam Butler and Carlin Fisher help put the show together, and the entire Scoop.

[B]

News Group team contributes. We'll be back next week with more top headlines.

[A]

Until then, I'm your host, Billy Mitchell. Thanks so much for listening.